Pace talks, and Nahid Rana was doing the talking yesterday. Slightly off his mark for most of the game, the pace sensation seized his moment, his spell: 4.5 overs, 10 runs and four wickets.
Back into the attack when his team needed it most, Rana caused a riot as Bangladesh picked up one of their most memorable Test wins at home, a 104-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test at Mirpur. This time, Rana was also reverse-swinging the old ball.
It was at 147.2 kph, shaping in right out of the hand in the 47th over. Mohammad Rizwan shouldered arms, the delivery too quick to predict. He thought he had left it well, only to hear the death rattle behind him. The moment provided one of the lasting images of the contest as the visitors lost their seventh wicket, leaving the game firmly in the hosts’ hands. Rana getting the old ball to talk had even surprised his captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.
“I think Rana reversing the ball was a little surprising. Litton [Das] and I were discussing behind the stumps that we didn’t expect Rana’s delivery to come in like that. It is something to feel good about,” Shanto said in the post-match press conference.
“It’s a positive that he is learning it slowly, like Taskin, Ebadot, Shoriful or Khaled, who do it most of the time,” he added.
What was different? Bangladesh can now dish it out. As Shanto put it, the Tigers showed a kind of bravery that was new to them, declaring with just enough time left on day five to allow Pakistan to bat through two sessions. The threat that Taskin Ahmed, Rana and company possessed allowed him to do it. And this time it was at home. The pace attack thundered at the right time, on the very final day.
Bangladesh’s pacers claimed seven wickets in the fourth innings, their biggest contribution in the final innings of a home Test since taking eight against Afghanistan in 2023. This time, they won mini battles under intense Test-match pressure. Rana’s duel with Shaheen Shah Afridi symbolised that growing edge. The Pakistan quick tested Rana with bouncers and vice versa, while the Bangladesh speedster was also struck on the helmet earlier in the match.
“They know if they bowl bouncers at Rana, they too have to take it. I wouldn’t bowl bouncers at Rana because I don’t want to face bouncers at that pace
“Yes, it definitely feels good. Now we can reply in kind and that intent is good; we have that bowling strength now,” Shanto remarked, confirming the team also played their part in maintaining the shine.
Rana used that old art of reverse swing to his advantage to dismiss Rizwan when it mattered most. But pace makes a difference even in the art of reverse swing.
“We know how special he is and how quick he is. Along with that, the skill is developing slowly. I enjoyed that, and the way the oppositions were worried, that felt good.”
Eventually, not just Rana, Bangladesh too experienced a shift in Test mentality. Pace at home, not only away, and an ability to change things quickly, even within a spell.
