From the very beginning of his career, Nahid Rana has drawn special attention in Bangladesh cricket. Tall, fast, and capable of generating serious pace—naturally, such a bowler is bound to spark excitement in a country where genuine quicks are rare. But with that excitement often comes intense pressure, and history shows that young talents sometimes buckle under it. Bangladesh’s pace bowling coach, Shaun Tait, says he’s determined to ensure Nahid doesn’t suffer the same fate.
The former Australian fast bowler took over as Bangladesh’s pace coach during last month’s tour of Pakistan. On Day 3 of the Galle Test against Sri Lanka, things didn’t quite go Nahid Rana’s way. He bowled 16 overs without a wicket and conceded runs at an economy rate of 5. Following the day’s play, Tait was asked about the young quick during the press conference.
At the media briefing in Galle, Tait said,
“There’s a lot of attention on him and a lot of expectation. I don’t know if Bangladesh has had such an exciting pace prospect before. There’s pressure from the media and the public as well. I need to work with him on how to handle that pressure.”
Tait acknowledged how important that mental side of development is:
“It’s not just about bowling—it’s about learning to handle the extra pressure that comes with being a young star. Talking about today, I think he could’ve been better with the new ball. It wasn’t bad, but it could’ve been better.”
While Nahid went wicketless, fellow pacer Hasan Mahmud had reason to be pleased. Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka had been a thorn in Bangladesh’s side all day, closing in on a double hundred. But with the second new ball, Hasan struck gold—clean bowling the right-hander on 187 off 256 deliveries. That late breakthrough brought some relief for Bangladesh.
Reflecting on Hasan’s performance, Tait said,
“That’s his job. The spinners will bowl most of the overs, so Mahmud’s job is to take wickets with the new ball. He hit the middle stump—that was a good delivery. On wickets like these, small wins at the end of the day are what you take away. That’s a positive.”
