Chief Selector Opens Up on Nahid Rana: Pacer to Miss South Africa Series Too, Needs a Few More Weeks

The return of Nahid Rana, one of the main hopes of Bangladesh's pace attack, has been pushed back further. The fast bowler, who has been suffering from injury for more than two months, will not be able to play in the upcoming South Africa series after the current West Indies series either, it has been learned. Chief selector Habibul Bashar has given the latest update on his condition.

Because of the injury, Nahid has been unable to play in several series. During rehabilitation, late last month he was injured again when he went to the ground at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. After that setback, his treatment and rehabilitation process had to be rearranged.

In the meantime, Nahid has travelled to Australia for a second time. After arriving there, he consulted doctor Peter Di Alessandro. He then completed a 10-day rehabilitation session there, the pacer did.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sources say Nahid's injury is not very serious. But there is no rush to bring him back to the field. After returning home, the Tigers pacer will work on his workload for another three to four weeks.

By that calculation, he will not play in the South Africa series after the West Indies series either. In other words, Nahid will have to wait longer to return fully fit to competitive cricket.

Chief selector Habibul Bashar sees Nahid's absence as a big blow. But he also sees it as an opportunity for the others. In his words, not having Nahid Rana is a very big setback; nothing can be done about an injury, but those who are playing without Nahid are also doing well.

The chief selector does not want to put extra pressure of expectation on the team. He says the team is playing well and every match is important; putting pressure in advance could affect performance. Their focus is on keeping the process right — the results will be seen after that.

According to Bashar, Bangladesh's other fast bowlers are all doing very well. Taskin Ahmed is doing well in Tests, Hasan Mahmud and Ebadat Hossain Chowdhury are also bowling well, and Shoriful Islam took six wickets in the previous Test. He feels Bangladesh's fast bowling department is in good shape.

But the chief selector also singled out what makes Nahid special. In his words, when Nahid Rana is there, the team has an 'X factor'. Even without that extra element, they are not worrying excessively about the injury and are thinking about those who are in the team.

Known for his pace, Nahid adds a different dimension to Bangladesh's pace attack. In his absence, Taskin, Hasan, Ebadat and Shoriful will carry extra responsibility against South Africa — and the chief selector's words clearly reflect his confidence in them.

All eyes are now on the progress of Nahid's rehabilitation. After the 10-day session in Australia, only if he completes three to four weeks of workload work properly at home will he get the green signal to return. The team management does not want to risk a rushed return and another injury.

The wait has grown longer for supporters too. But the BCB source's information — that the injury is not serious — is for now the biggest relief. Cricket fans will wait to see a fully fit Nahid Rana storming in again in the red and green jersey.