Sports Desk:

With the emergence Nahid Rana, for the first time, Bangladesh had a pacer in their arsenal who could breathe fire.

The speedster from Chapainawabganj breached the 150kmph mark consistently from the very start of his international career and became an instant sensation by taking five wickets on his Test debut against Sri Lanka last year.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) adopted a cautious approach in the first few months in handling the raw talent they were blessed with almost out of nowhere, managing his workload to keep him physically fit and mentally refreshed.

Bangladesh reaped the benefits of this decision as the bowler played a key role in two big triumphs last year – maiden Test series victory over Pakistan and the first Test win in Caribbean soil in nearly 15 years – by claiming five wickets in the decisive second Test against Pakistan and striking six times in the Jamaica Test against the West Indies respectively.

Rana’s success in red-ball cricket made the team management over-ambitious as only eight months into his international debut, he made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in Sharjah and in the following West Indies tour, he got picked in all three formats.

It was learnt that the selectors were not keen to include him in the T20 side but conceded to the insistence of head coach Phil Simmons which was endorsed by the board.

Rana didn’t feature in that T20 series, but made it into the playing XI during the T20I series against the UAE in May this year. By then, he had also featured in the ICC Champions Trophy.

By May, Rana had played four ODIs and one T20I and was also selected for the three-match T20I series in Pakistan in May-June.

The steady progression of Rana’s white-ball career hit its first speed bump when the pacer opted out of the Pakistan tour due to personal reasons.

After that, he was selected in the three-match ODI series at home against Sri Lanka, but didn’t get a game. He was not named in the T20 part of that series and was overlooked in the following three T20Is against Pakistan as well, as the think-tank seemingly abandoned their white-ball experiment of Rana.

Worryingly, Rana’s form with the red-ball also dipped as he claimed only one wicket in two Tests against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, looking a shadow of his former self from just a few months ago.

Rana’s non-selection in the Asia Cup squad raised no eye-brows and chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, although praised the pacer for his work ethic, said he has to find a way to regain some lost pace.

“What I have noticed is that he lost a few things. Firstly, he lost control of line and length. Secondly, he has struggled to adapt to different situations.”

“My observation is that he is thinking that to play for a longer period, he needs to sacrifice pace. He is now bowling at a pace of 139-142 kmph. That’s why he is not threatening the batters like he used to,” said Lipu.

“He has an issue with his leg bone. I think it was scanned and if the report is good, it will motivate him mentally. He is a good listener and works really hard. I think he needs to pick the right person and work with him personally to completely remedy his problems,” he added.

However, according to the 22-year-old’s childhood coach Alamgir Kabir, personal issues are affecting his performance, not physical ones.

“I was not impressed with his performance in his last Test. He couldn’t showcase his pace. We talked over the phone and he met me after returning home,” Alamgir said.

“I felt that he couldn’t bowl at a high pace because of some mental disturbances. I think he is okay now… He did not lose his pace due to getting overworked.

“I think we will get to see the same old Nahid Rana in the coming days,” he added.