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As Bangladesh gears up for the ICC Champions Trophy against India, all eyes will be on 22-year-old pacer Nahid Rana, who has made a reputation as one of the fastest bowler in the game and the fastest from his country.
Nahid Rana is used to life in the fast lane. As a pace bowler capable of topping 150km/h, and a biker in his downtime, the 22-year-old seamer has generated plenty of attention over the last year. He has picked 20 wickets in six Tests at an average of over 36, while in three ODIs, he has four wickets at an average of 31.50. He has clocked speeds never previously reached by Bangladeshi bowlers and earned the moniker as his country's fastest-ever bowler. It is a rise made all the more impressive by the fact Nahid did not pick up a hard cricket ball until his late teens, having grown up playing taped tennis ball cricket in Rajshahi, as per ICC. But having established himself in the Tigers squad, he is now ready for his first taste of an ICC global event at the upcoming Men's Champions Trophy 2025 - a prospect he is relishing. "The opportunity to play against the best cricketers in the world is the highest form of inspiration," he said as quoted by ICC. "I am enjoying every moment of international cricket. Things have happened very fast but I am grateful for everything. It is never easy to adapt to international cricket but I was lucky in the sense that I got to play a good number of first-class matches before my debut." "I feel that is the best thing that could have happened as you get exposed to all sorts of different situations and conditions. But international cricket is a totally different level altogether. I learned every day on and off the field, from fitness to how to how to take care of the body, the diet, understanding and executing plans, learning from the coaches and the more experienced players." "The team expected me to bowl fast and used me as an attacking option. I tried to repay the faith by sticking to my strengths and staying humble," he concluded. Nahid made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in March 2024 and immediately caught the eye, taking three wickets in the visitors' first innings. He built on those performances in Pakistan later in the year, notably dismissing Babar Azam, Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel in the space of three consecutive overs in Rawalpindi to help his side to a 2-0 series win away from home. The Tigers are back in the same destination for their Group A clashes against the hosts and New Zealand, with Nahid hoping to pick up where he left off. "We played on pitches that were very good for batting and the margins for the fast bowlers were less," he said. "Despite that, we made the right adjustments and bowled exceptionally as a fast bowling group. The pitches could be even better for the Champions Trophy and we have to be focused on proper execution of our plans," he added. Nahid has leaned on his more experienced compatriots, such as Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud, for guidance as he makes his way in the international scene. It is Nahid's raw pace which makes him stand out among his fellow countrymen, with his skills honed on the streets of the Chapainawabganj district, which borders India. "The place is more famous for mangoes rather than cricket, or any sport for that matter," he said. "I was mainly playing taped tennis ball cricket and could feel I was way quicker than those around me. I could extract more natural bounce because of my height. Alamgir Kabir, who is a divisional coach of Rajshahi under the Bangladesh Cricket Board and a former national pacer, encouraged me to transfer that natural ability to bowling with a cricket ball." "We worked on my run-up and a few other technicalities, and thankfully, I could adapt quickly. High pace is a rarity and the coaches and selectors saw something different in me," he continued. A bright future appears to lie ahead but Nahid is keeping his feet on the ground and, though his free time is more limited than it once was, he has plenty to keep him occupied away from the cricket field. "Nowadays, any time off from cricket is spent catching up with friends and family," he said. "I used to catch fish and angling was a favourite pastime, and I love riding my motorbike when I am home in Chapainawabganj. I love cats and we have some at home but I hardly get the time to visit these days because the cricket calendar is so hectic," he added. Nahid will be one of the quicker bowlers in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy, a list also including the likes of Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada, but he admits he is not setting himself targets for speeds he could reach in the future. "I would rather concentrate on getting into the right rhythm and my release. I have learnt that looking after your body and staying fit is the key to bowling quick. If I feel good, then I know that the pace would be right. But then again, when you see or hear that the pace is around 150kph, that's a nice feeling," he concluded. (ANI)
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