On Wednesday as Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto sat for his first media briefing forward of the Champions Trophy, he spent nearly half it answering about their pacers. Out of these a majority have been round Nahid Rana, their first 150kmph quick bowler, whose workload is the only most subject of debate amongst cricket nerds again residence. Shanto would give assurance that Rana is as excited and ready to have a go in opposition to India’s top-order.
However not till they noticed Rana on the ICC Academy nets did there was a collective sigh of reduction. Of the eight groups within the Champions Trophy that additionally consists of Afghanistan, which is making its maiden look within the event, it’s Bangladesh that begin as rank outsiders. Ranked No 9 within the rankings, they only sneaked into the event on the expense of Sri Lanka through higher run-rate on the 2023 World Cup.
For the primary time since 2007, Bangladesh have arrived for an ICC occasion sans Shakib Al Hasan, their estranged hero who was not so way back the toast of the nation. These have been totally different occasions. For the reason that political change, quite a bit has modified in Bangladesh cricket as properly. It is a completely totally different crew, one that’s extra enthusiastic about its quick bowlers and is holding its breath within the hope that they are going to demolish opponents in the identical method opposition assaults used to prey on Bangladesh batsmen. When requested if the crew is lacking Shakib, Shanto’s reply was a curt no, which led to loud laughter among the many travelling Bangladesh media contingent.
With Tamim Iqbal retiring and Mushfiqur Rahim within the remaining lap of his profession, it’s Rana who hails from northwestern city of Chapai Nawabganj, who’s starting to be the brand new poster boy of Bangladesh cricket. Having grown up taking part in tape-ball cricket, bowling quick got here naturally to him. After all, his motion needed to be remodelled, he advanced right into a refined bowler, however one facet of his bowling has remained the identical – the tempo. On the nets, he repeatedly beats batsmen for tempo, a sight he clearly appears to take pleasure in. It’s no surprise that Bangladesh are turning to him seeking a brand new route in ODIs alongside fellow pacers Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib to go together with Mustafizur Rahim.
It is a luxurious that no Bangladesh captain has loved up to now. “Sure, very blissful,” Shanto mentioned as to how enjoyable it’s to have a pacer who clocks 150kmph as a part of his aspect. “I feel in the previous couple of matches he bowled rather well and bowled quick. And once we see him bowling like this, it helps our complete bowling unit. And it motivates us how we can provide opponents a variety of challenges. So that’s one factor I actually like. However what I would like, he must be match and he can proceed his bowling type. I hope he’ll proceed and now we have bought one other two – three quick bowlers as properly. So I hope they are going to proceed their type,” he added.
Nonetheless, going into the sport, there are nonetheless considerations about Rana’s participation due to his workload.
For Bangladesh to face an opportunity in opposition to India, quite a bit rides on their pacers’ effectiveness in opposition to some in-form batsmen. Over the past two years, starting from the 2023 World Cup, India have made it a behavior of taking up the assault from the phrase go. And given the inexperience of Bangladesh seamers, there isn’t a motive for India to relook on the plans, particularly in the event that they bat first. Underneath solar, the floor at Dubai tends to get slower, which implies scoring runs on the prime turns into all of the extra vital earlier than the spinners come on.
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That the pitches gained’t be a high-scoring one additionally means Bangladesh would really feel snug as it’s largely just like the circumstances they get again residence in Mirpur and Chattogram
“I’m not relying on the quick bowlers alone to be trustworthy. We’ve balanced assault to swimsuit these circumstances. And in opposition to India, it’s good to do properly in all three departments. We’ve crushed them up to now when taking part in at residence. However the circumstances right here are usually not completely totally different. We’re aware of these circumstances as properly, so we’re upbeat,” Shanto mentioned.
With the crew in transition, in the case of batting, quite a bit will depend on Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad who need to protect their younger strokemakers round them. However Bangladesh know what they’re up in opposition to. For the reason that 2023 World Cup, in a format the place they’re most snug, they’ve been combating simply 4 wins within the final 12 matches and even misplaced a collection to Afghanistan at Sharjah in November. Can they modify it now?