Nahid Rana Becomes The Third Best Bangladesh Bowler; Scripts History Vs Zimbabwe

Nahid Rana scripts history vs Zimbabwe [Source: AFP]

Over the years, Bangladesh has produced several quality pace bowlers who have troubled the best in the business, but none more promising than Nahid Rana, who has certainly gone from strength to strength. In just 14 ODI matches, he has wreaked havoc against some of the best international sides, and it is a testament to his greatness.

While he has done well in T20Is and the Test format, it is in the ODIs where he has truly dominated the proceedings, and on Monday, he created history with a breathtaking spell against Zimbabwe.

Nahid Rana rips through Zimbabwe in 1st ODI

On Monday, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe collided in the first ODI of the series in Harare, and on a lively deck, the hosts elected to bat first. The decision instantly backfired as the Chevrons were pushed on the backfoot by the Bangladesh bowlers led by Nahid Rana.

With the pitch assisting the seamers, Rana bowled with pace, as he made the Zimbabwean batters dance to his tunes, and Sikandar Raza was the first to be dismissed by him.

When Raza was dismissed, the Zimbabwe scorecard read: 45/4, and in the space of the next six runs, Rana had knocked over two more batters as the opposition was suddenly tottering at 51/6.

A few overs later, Innocent Kaia became his victim, and the icing on the cake was the dismissal of Brad Evans as the Bangladesh pacer scalped a five-wicket haul to stun the Zimbabwe side. The pacer finished the innings with figures of 6 for 21 in the allotted 10 overs.

Nahid Rana creates history with fifer vs Zimbabwe

This was Nahid Rana’s third ODI fifer in just 14 matches, and the right-arm seamer created history with the wicket of Evans. He became the Bangladesh bowler with the third-most fifers in ODI cricket (3).

Mustafizur Rahman tops the charts with 6 fifers in 124 matches, while Abdul Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan have four 5-wicket hauls each in 153 and 247 matches, respectively.

Also Read: Shoriful Islam At The Top: Best Bowling Figures For Bangladesh Vs Australia In ODIs

Bangladesh bowlers with most fifers in ODIs

(Nahid Rana's stats as compared to other bowlers)

Nahid Rana's stellar ODI numbers at a glance

In just 14 ODIs, Rana has produced numbers that a lot of people have failed to deliver, even after playing 100 matches. He made his ODI debut in November 2024, and not even two years have passed, and already he has climbed the ladder in the 50-overs format.

In 14 ODI games, the pacer has bagged 30 wickets, with an average of 20.16 and an economy rate of 4.76. Moreover, in such a short span of time, he has bagged three fifers, and it showcases his ability to take wickets in this format.

Rana's excellent performance for Bangladesh in 2026

It wasn’t till the start of 2026 that Rana became a menace with the ball in ODIs. On a consistent basis, the pacer has given match-winning performances against some of the best teams.

Out of his 30 ODI wickets, 25 of them have come in 2026 alone, with an average of 18.25. Interestingly, all three of his fifers have also come in 2026.

He started the year with a match-winning five-wicket haul against Pakistan at home as his spell ripped through the Pakistan batting lineup. He followed it up with yet another fifer, this time against the New Zealand team.

The tearaway bowler bagged a four-wicket haul against Australia recently, and on Monday, he completed his third fifer to script history vs Zimbabwe.

Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Labelled Reason Behind Indian Players' Insecurity