3 cricketers who missed T20 World Cup matches due to weird reasons ft. Taskin Ahmed
The T20 World Cup is the biggest T20I competition on earth, with many teams across the globe dreaming to become champions in this tournament one day. The most recent edition of this mega event was held in the USA and West Indies last month, where India emerged as the winners.
India remained undefeated throughout the tournament and became champions for the second time in T20 World Cup history. One of the biggest reasons behind India's success was that the entire squad played like a unit. They all had the same goal, and even the players who were not a part of the playing XI selflessly contributed to the team in whatever way they could.
While the Indian players showed top-quality commitment during the T20 World Cup, there are some other cricketers who ended up missing the global tournament's matches due to various reasons. While injuries are a common reason for players missing games, here's a list of three cricketers who missed T20 World Cup matches for weird reasons.
#1 Taskin Ahmed oversleeps in hotel room, misses out on T20 World Cup 2024 match against India
Sleep is of utmost importance in an athlete's life. However, Bangladesh vice-captain Taskin Ahmed ended up oversleeping in his hotel room on the morning of his team's crucial T20 World Cup match against India.
In a recent report by Cricbuzz, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official disclosed that Taskin Ahmed missed the team bus because he could not wake up on time. BCB reportedly kept one official in the hotel room as the pacer did not respond to the calls.
Finally, when Taskin woke up and took a taxi to the stadium, it was too late to pick him in the playing XI. Bangladesh's senior player Shakib Al Hasan commented on the controversy, saying:
"The team bus starts at a certain point and there is a rule for cricketers that team bus does not stop for anyone and if anyone misses it in that case he comes in the next car. The manager's car or a taxi is there and the support of transport was difficult in the West Indies. When Taskin arrived it was five to 10 minutes before the toss and certainly, it was difficult to pick him at that point in the team and it was difficult for him as well."
#2 Shimron Hetmyer misses flight to Australia twice
West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer was selected in the 2022 T20 World Cup squad. However, he did not play any matches in the tournament because he missed his flight to Australia twice.
Hetmyer first requested to reschedule his flight from the Caribbean to Australia. When the officials obliged, he missed the rescheduled flight, which is why he could not make it to the host nation for the mega event.
#3 Devon Conway punches his bat, breaks hand and misses T20 World Cup 2021 final
Many cricketers dream of playing in a T20 WC final. Devon Conway had a tough journey from being rejected by South Africa to becoming New Zealand's first-choice opener.
Conway could have played in his first-ever T20 WC final had he controlled his emotions after losing his wicket in the semifinal against England in 2021. The New Zealand batter punched his bat so hard that he ended up having a broken right hand.