Phil Simmons has freshened up the message, yet the theme is familiar for anyone following Bangladesh cricket this year. The head coach wants the country’s newest pace sensation, Nahid Rana, on the park as often as possible – but not so often he breaks down.
Rana has been bowling with real heat in the PSL, consistently flirting with the 150 kph mark and picking up seven wickets in his last three outings. Those spells have underlined why Simmons calls him a “trump card”, and why the support staff are already poring over his bowling loads.
“Sometimes we will have to look at his loads as they do in modern day, but as far as I’m concerned, he is one of our trump cards and we’ve got to protect him, but also we’ve got to make sure that he delivers for us every time,” Simmons said. “It is up to us to try and look after him and make sure that when he goes out there he gives everything that we want him to give for Bangladesh.”
That protective instinct grew after Rana’s eye-catching ODI debut against Pakistan in Dhaka last month, where a five-for came in a burst so quick Pakistan’s top order barely had time to settle. Two more wickets followed in the third match, leaving selectors convinced they finally have a seam bowler who can dictate terms on mostly slow, low surfaces.
Simmons, though, is equally keen to give Rana the conditions he needs. The Shere Bangla surface has long favoured finger-spinners and cutters; the coach wants a bit more life. “We are trying to get it (to a similar type of pitch) because what I’m finding is that when you play on better wickets, your team improves quicker. I am trying to get that kind of wicket as much as possible,” Simmons said.
While the bowling stocks look healthier, the batting – especially the middle order – is yet to convince. Towhid Hridoy came through the age-group system as a top-order dasher but has been asked to anchor at No. 5 or 6 for the senior side. Progress is steady rather than spectacular, something the coach half-expected.
“I think Hridoy has been working extremely hard. I think the way he’s batting now, he’s showing there’s more responsibility on his shoulders. He is accepting that responsibility. I’m sure what he did in BCL, he’s going to transform into international cricket soon enough.”
Simmons can point to the Pakistan series for evidence the finishing is improving. “We have room to improve in every aspect of our game, especially the batting side. That last ten overs, we’ve been doing well. Against Pakistan, the last 10 overs we scored what, 80 runs in the last game? So we’re improving in that area.”
Still, the pattern is clear: most domestic top-order players are being squeezed into lower spots internationally. It is not a seamless transition. “It seems like all our batsmen bat in the top order in domestic. So it’s the same for (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz and (Mahidul Islam) Ankon. Everybody seems to bat up in the top order. But when they come here, they have to fit into different positions. And so far, the guys have been trying very hard to adapt to those positions. And I think that’s one of the big things about international cricket, you have to adapt to what’s in front of you, not what you’ve done in domestic.”
Behind that fairly blunt assessment sits a simple reality: Bangladesh cannot afford early burnout for their quickest bowler, nor can they keep shuffling the batting deck without visible gains. For now, Rana’s pace offers genuine hope. The coaching staff’s job is to ensure that hope is still intact – and still fast – when Bangladesh enter a home season that might finally reward quicks, not just spinners.
