Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana, former Australian fast bowler and their current pace coach Shaun Tait has given him the confidence needed to excel in the international arena.
The 23-year-old delivered a mesmerizing spell on Wednesday as he took five wickets in his 17th match for his country. His efforts led Bangladesh to an 8-wicket win over Pakistan in the first ODI at Mirpur.
Rana regularly crossed 140 kmph and Pakistan’s batsmen struggled to cope with his pace and aggression. His style evokes memories of Tait, who was a key figure in Australia’s formidable pace attack in the early 2000s.
Speaking to the media after the match, the right-arm seamer praised the Australian’s supportive and approachable coaching style and highlighted the important role played by Tait in his development.
“To be honest, he (Tide) is a great coach because he treats us not only as a coach but also as a friend,” Rana said.
“When we need something, he provides it. He always tells us to stick to our strengths and tell him if we need anything. He says, “Whatever you need, tell me, I’m there to guide you. “You play on the field, I give you the plan, you have to execute it and win the match. So he always motivates us and gives us great guidance.”
Rana first made his mark in early 2024 during the World Test Championship match against Sri Lanka in Sylhet. Since then, he has mainly featured in the longer format, although he briefly entered the white-ball arena during last year’s ICC Champions Trophy.
His ability to generate tremendous speed, often flirting with the 150km/h mark has attracted significant attention, with Rana focusing on refining his accuracy and control. He emphasized that skill rather than speed is his primary focus in international cricket.
“Honestly, I don’t think much about pace. In international cricket, skill is more important than pure pace,” Nahit said after taking his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.
“So I try to work more on improving my skills.
“Early on, Fiz Bhai (Mustafisur Rahman) and Taskin Bhai (Duskin Ahmed) were bowling. I was talking to them about what was happening on the wicket. They told me that if you hit the right areas or maintain the right line and length at certain places, it is difficult for the batsmen to play. So I tried to implement that.
“I have played many matches at this ground before, so I tried to use that experience to understand which line and length works best, how to get help from the wicket. For me, every wicket is special. I don’t think about cricket that today is good and tomorrow is bad. I believe that a bowler should first understand the wicket and bowl according to the wicket.”
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson did not hide his disappointment with his team’s performance, admitting that Rana’s pace had made the batting line up.
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson was bitterly disappointed with his team’s performance against Bangladesh, admitting that veteran mentor Rana’s pace troubled his batting line-up.
“I think Nahid Rana is exceptional,” Hesson said.
“We were ticking all right until he came into the game. And he changed the game. He bowled inside the wicket, created some variation and bounce, which he’s allowed to do when he’s bowling at that pace. And we didn’t respond as much as we needed to. So all credit to him.
“It’s the first time I’ve actually seen him bowl live. I’ve seen him bowl a lot on TV. I thought he bowled really well, even in the warm-ups. He looked like he was timing well. And he bowls hard on the surface, he bowls seam and cross-seam.”