From tennis ball to pace sensation: Rana's journey

HE had not held a cricket ball in his hand until he turned 17 but only four years later Nahid Rana started hurrying world-class batters with his raw pace.

- FIROZ MIRZA

He crossed 150kmph on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in March this year and consistently touched the 150kmph mark in two five-day matches Bangladesh played against hosts Pakistan. The 21-year-old dismantled Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test claiming four wickets including that of captain Shan Masood, Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel in the second innings to hand his team a historic 2-0 clean sweep.

With Bangladesh touring India for two Tests and three T20Is, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Co will expect Rana to continue in the same vein. More importantly, the pace sensation standing at around six feet two inches would be keen to outfox batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on his first tour to India.

Rana might be the centre of attraction given his recent exploits on the field and the pace he generates but it was a farfetched dream almost five years ago when he decided to leave his village Horishpur (Harishpur) for district headquarters Chapainawabganj to pursue his dream of becoming a cricketer.

"One of my acquaintances from his village called me and told me about the pace he generates," Alamgir Kabir, former Bangladesh pacer who played three Tests for the country, told this daily. Alamgir works as a fast bowling coach at the Clemon Rajshahi Cricket Academy started by former Bangladesh Test captain Khaled Mashud along with a few divisional cricketers.