Bangladesh pacer Nahid unfazed after first five-for

Bangla Press Desk:   Fast bowler Nahid Rana insisted he was “feeling normal” despite producing a breathtaking maiden five-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s dominant win over Pakistan in the opening One Day International at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old ripped through Pakistan’s batting line-up with a fiery spell of five for 24, earning widespread praise and helping Bangladesh secure a comfortable victory. Yet Nahid played down the significance of the milestone, saying that his focus was on maintaining such performances over a longer period.

“Alhamdulillah. I’m feeling normal,” Nahid said after the match. “But going forward I’ll try to see how I can maintain this kind of performance for a long time.”

Nahid explained that his success was largely about executing a simple plan after discussing conditions with fellow pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed early in the innings.

“It wasn’t surprising because Fizz bhai (Mustafizur) and Taskin bhai were bowling first,” he noted. “I was talking with them in the middle about what was happening on the wicket. They said if you hit the surface and maintain your line and length in one area, it would be difficult for the batters. I just tried to execute that.”

The lanky pacer also stressed that adapting to conditions is more important than worrying about whether a pitch is good or bad for bowlers.

“For me, every wicket is special,” Nahid explained. “I never think that a wicket is good today or bad tomorrow. I think a bowler should understand the wicket and bowl according to what it demands.”

Having made a strong impact in the match, Nahid said his priority now is to maintain consistency in the coming games.

“Alhamdulillah, things are going well. I’ll try to continue this for a long time,” he added. Source: daily Sun

BP/TD