Nahid Rana has suffered an injury at probably the worst possible time in his career. A side strain has ruled him out of Bangladesh’s upcoming two-match Test series against Australia in their backyard. Rana has been head and shoulders above every other pacer in the last 12 months across formats.
The right-arm seamer has not let the flat pitches in Bangladesh affect his momentum. He is a tall, hit-the-deck fast bowler and can crank up the pace as and when needed. Despite having played on the docile, spin-friendly surfaces in the Indian subcontinent, Rana has won games for Bangladesh single-handedly.
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His absence from the Australia tour is a massive dent to Bangladesh’s hopes of challenging the Aussies. Rana would have been a potent weapon for the Bangla Tigers on the fast, bouncy and lively wickets of Australia. But his unavailability will make life extremely difficult for Bangladesh against a full-strength Aussie side.
BCB chief selector Habibul Bashar expresses disappointment over Rana’s absence
Former Bangladesh captain and the incumbent chief selector of Bangladesh, Habibul Bashar, said that they tried everything in their capacity to manage Rana’s workload but the lanky pacer sustained an untimely injury despite the precautionary measures.
“Nahid Rana was well within our workload management policy,” Bashar was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. “The GPS tracker tells us everything these days, so we decide which match, how many matches, and which series each fast bowler will play. Nahid Rana didn’t play all the matches when Australia toured here in June. He was available for the two Tests in Australia according to the workload management.”
“We didn’t pick him for the Test against Zimbabwe by being extra cautious,” Bashar said on Monday. “He got hurt in the second T20I after having played the first two ODIs, so it was unfortunate. We could have avoided playing him, but the ODIs were part of our push towards the World Cup.
“We also have to keep in mind that he had to bowl enough overs. You can’t just let him sit out matches. He has to bowl a certain number of deliveries to be match ready. We had to consider that part too. His injury is unfortunate; it could have happened in Australia. It is hard to keep fast bowlers free of injuries.”
