Dhaka: Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza expressed his joy and happiness after pacer Taskin's return in the side after ICC lifted the bowling ban on two Bangladeshi.

Tiger captain added that we are relieved to hear that two of our premier bowlers have been cleared by ICC and they are available to play for national side.  

He said, ‘This is indeed a positive sign for the team ahead of the important series against Afghanistan and England with Taskin back in the side. It is great news for our cricket. Thanks God, they are cleared and their action are now legal. I hope both of them can pick up from where they left off from the international cricket,’ Masfrafee was talking to Sports Journalists at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur this afternoon after a strenuous practice.  

This is Bangladesh's first ODI assignment of 2016— the three-match series getting underway tomorrow against Afghanistan. The Tigers were forced to practice at Mirpur's indoor facilities, where they took part in a 90-minute session.

Quite naturally Bangladesh cricket's currently most talked topic dominated at the pre-series press conference— the return of Taskin Ahmed after his action was cleared, playing the ODI format after a long time— where Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe were thrown questions from an eager press pack.

Mashrafe, coming in fresh from practice, ended the presser with a note of confidence, to be expected from a captain that has overseen series victories over India Pakistan, South Africa and India in 2015 as well as an unprecedentedly successful 50-over World Cup.

‘We will obviously play all-out cricket,’ he said when asked whether the long gap between matches will persuade them to start the series playing safe cricket.   

‘We want to start playing the way we left off. Sometimes, according to the match situation you have to be defensive. But at the start we will want to play our best cricket, and our best cricket is not defensive cricket.’  

Bangladesh coach Sri Lankan Hathurusinghe meanwhile dismissed any idea that this was a preparation series ahead of next month's series against England.

‘We take this as a really very important series, not as a practice or anything like that. Afghanistan is a strong team. They have upset many good teams on the world stage. We take them very seriously, we prepare for them as we would prepare for any other team,’ said the Sri Lankan.

Mashrafe was very happy to have Taskin back in the squad. ‘It is great for our cricket. It is very good that he has proved his action legal. Now it is left to him to pick up from where he left off in international cricket.’  

The absence of Bangladesh's pace-bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman, sitting the series out as he recovers from a shoulder surgery, was expectedly brought up.  

‘It is not that there were no challenges when Mustafizur was playing the challenges remain the same,’ said Mashrafe. ‘The people who are in the team, I believe they have the ability, so I am not thinking about that.’