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23-year-old Nahid Rana wrecked Pakistan’s new-look batting order in the ODI series opener on march 11. Rana claimed five wickets for just 34 runs, the best bowling figures for Bangladesh against Pakistan. It led to Pakistan getting bowled out for 114 and losing the match by eight wickets. After the thumping win, Rana credited bowling coach Shaun Tait for supporting him like a friend. The former Australian pacer wants Rana to stick to his strengths.
"To be honest, he (Tait) is an outstanding coach because he behaves with us not only as a coach but also as a friend," Rana said.
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"Whenever we need something, he provides it. He always tells us to stick to our strengths and to let him know if we need anything. He says, 'Whatever you need, just tell me. I am here to guide you. You will play on the field, I will give you the plan, and you have to execute it and win the match.' So he always motivates us and gives us the best guidance."
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Rana on getting help from Rahman and Taskin
Rana is one of the fastest bowlers to come out of Bangladesh setup. However, he does not intend to focus too much on bowling at a speed in excess of 150 km/h like his bowling coach Tait. He also revealed how Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman guided him on the field, asking him to hit the right spots and make life tough for the batters. He also used his experience of bowling at Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka.
"Honestly, I don't think too much about speed. In international cricket, skill matters more than pure pace," Nahid said after his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs.
"So I am trying to work more on improving my skills.
"In the beginning, Fizz Bhai (Mustafizur Rahman) and Taskin Bhai (Taskin Ahmed) were bowling. I was talking with them on the field about what was happening on the wicket. They told me that if you hit the right areas or maintain a proper line and length in certain spots, it becomes difficult for the batters to play. So I just tried to execute that on the field.
"I have played many matches on this ground before, so I tried to use that experience, understanding which line and length works best here and how to get help from the wicket. For me, every wicket is special. I don't think about cricket in terms of a wicket being good today and bad tomorrow. I believe that a bowler should understand the wicket first, whatever the condition is, and then bowl according to what the wicket demands."
Rana’s wickets were an in-form Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and T20I captain Salman Agha. Farhan, Sadaqat and Hussain were making their ODI debuts.
Rana will be seen in action again on March 13 in the second ODI of the series.
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