Bangladesh quick credits Australian coach for Pakistan haul

Bangladesh pace sensation Nahid Rana has credited former Australia speedster and current fast bowling coach Shaun Tait for providing him with the confidence to perform at the highest level.

Rana displayed his capabilities with a superb five-wicket haul for Bangladesh during their impressive eight-wicket triumph over Pakistan in Mirpur on Wednesday in what was just his 17th international appearance for his country.

The 23-year-old had Pakistan's batters mesmerised as he regularly hit high speeds in excess of 140km/h, showcasing the skills that Tait made famous when he was part of Australia's formidable fast bowling line-up earlier this century.

Rana fronted the media after Bangladesh's victory in the series opener and the right-armer made mention of the role Tait has had in his career thus far and the confidence the Australian has provided him with.

"To be honest, he (Tait) is an outstanding coach because he behaves with us not only as a coach but also as a friend," Rana said.

"Whenever we need something, he provides it. He always tells us to stick to our strengths and to let him know if we need anything. He says, 'Whatever you need, just tell me. I am here to guide you. You will play on the field, I will give you the plan, and you have to execute it and win the match.' So he always motivates us and gives us the best guidance."

Rana first burst onto the scene at the start of 2024 when he debuted in an ICC World Test Championship contest against Sri Lanka in Sylhet and it's in the longest-format that the pacer has appeared in mostly since despite a brief foray into white-ball cricket at the ICC Champions Trophy event last year.

While the temptation for Rana to hit speeds in excess of 150km/h continues to create much attention, the fast bowler is instead concentrating on finding the right line and length with his bowling and letting the rest take care of itself.

"Honestly, I don't think too much about speed. In international cricket, skill matters more than pure pace," Nahid said after his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs.

"So I am trying to work more on improving my skills.

"In the beginning, Fizz Bhai (Mustafizur Rahman) and Taskin Bhai (Taskin Ahmed) were bowling. I was talking with them on the field about what was happening on the wicket. They told me that if you hit the right areas or maintain a proper line and length in certain spots, it becomes difficult for the batters to play. So I just tried to execute that on the field.

"I have played many matches on this ground before, so I tried to use that experience, understanding which line and length works best here and how to get help from the wicket. For me, every wicket is special. I don't think about cricket in terms of a wicket being good today and bad tomorrow. I believe that a bowler should understand the wicket first, whatever the condition is, and then bowl according to what the wicket demands."

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson was bitterly disappointed with the performance of his side against Bangladesh, with the experienced mentor admitting that Rana's pace had troubled his batting line-up.

"I think Nahid Rana was exceptional," Hesson said.

"Until he came into the game we were ticking along OK. And he changed the game. He bowled into the wicket, created some variation and bounce, which he's allowed to do when he's bowling at that pace. And we didn't respond as well as we needed to. So all credit to him.

"It's actually the first time I've seen him bowl live. I've seen him bowl a lot on TV. I thought he bowled really nicely, even in warm-ups. He looked like he had his timing going well. And he bowls hard into the surface, he presents the seam and he bowls cross-seam."

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