Shakib Al Hasan Denies Giving Nahid Rana The Lone Star Status

Nahid Rana and Shakib Al Hasan [Source: Zimbabwe Cricket and ICC]

Nahid Rana has now emerged as one of the most promising stars of Bangladesh Cricket. The young pacer has risen to elite levels quite quickly after his ability to hit hard lengths at searing pace and match the legends of Test cricket only after 12 games.

Now, Shakib Al Hasan, one of Bangladesh's greatest all-rounders, commented on this rise of Nahid Rana subtly while criticising the bench strength of the team after the Bengal Tigers lost Rana to injury ahead of the Australia series.

Shakib Al Hasan Refuses To Name Nahid Rana As Bangladesh Star

The Bangladesh Cricket team have now been doing well in all formats, with form only lacking in the ODI format under the doubtful captaincy of Mehidy Hasan Miraz. This transition of the team has come after years of veterans handling the core of the team.

The core of the Bangladesh team is now packed with a mix of veterans and dangerously productive young talents like Nahid. However, despite Rana’s 5/40 against Pakistan and a record-breaking 152 kph delivery, Shakib avoided naming him as the lone star.

When asked to name the most promising young cricketer in the current squad, Shakib Al Hasan didn’t single anyone out.

"There are many talented players. There's no reason to mention just one or two names. A lot of them have the potential to do very well,” Shakib said to BDCricTime.

Also Read- List Of Bangladesh Players Who Might Miss Australia Tests

Can Nahid Rana Be Given The Lone Star Status?

Definitely, Rana is currently one of the biggest names in the cricket team, at least in red-ball cricket. Since his debut, Nahid has shown red-hot form in Test cricket, scalping 38 wickets at a strike rate of 48.2, a rate better than South Africa legend Dale Steyn after he bowled in his first 12 Test matches.

While it is too early to comment on the legendary star status of the player, Rana will, however, be an effective bowler for the Bengal Tigers side. Even in the one-day format, he has bagged 32 wickets from 15 matches at an average of 20.59 and a strike rate of 26.2. 

With Rana now ruled out because of a grade-2 left-side strain, he will require at least six weeks to recover and will hence miss out on the important Australia tour that is to be played from August 13. 

Shakib Al Hasan Lauds New Energy But Points Out One Weakness

Bangladesh have seen quite a success and gradual development on the winning side across formats. Out of a total of 49 matches played across international formats in the last 12 months, the Tigers have managed to win 26 of them with a win percentage of 53.06%. 

Commenting on the betterment of the team, Shakib lauded the momentum shift but criticised the weak bench strength of the team, as is currently the case with Nahid Rana’s injury.

"I think the team is doing well in all three formats. If I have to point out one weakness, it's our bench strength. Our best XI is good enough in every format. But if a few players get injured or if we need to rotate the squad, that's when we start to struggle,” Shakib Al Hasan shared.

It is also worth noting that in Tests, Bangladesh have won 4 out of 5 matches, 9 out of 18 in ODIs and 13 out of 26 in T20Is in the last 12 months, which better underlines their effectiveness after the transition phase of 2023.

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