Five-wicket burst destroys Pakistan, yet Nahid Rana refuses to see himself as a brand

Despite delivering a match-winning bowling performance against Pakistan, Bangladesh’s pace sensation Nahid Rana says he does not see himself as a “brand.” Even after producing the best bowling figures of his career and becoming the centre of attention, the right-arm pacer remained humble and composed while speaking at the post-match press conference.

Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets in the first ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Nahid Rana was the hero of the victory. The right-arm pacer single-handedly dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up with a brilliant spell of 5 wickets for 24 runs in 7 overs.

After the match, he was asked at the press conference whether he could be given a nickname similar to Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, known as the “Rawalpindi Express,” or Bangladesh’s Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, famously called the “Narail Express.” The question was whether he might be called the “Chapai Express.”

Nahid responded with characteristic humility.

“I don’t consider myself a brand. I see myself as a very ordinary person. I just try to focus on how I can deliver better performances,” he said.

His bowling in the match was truly fiery. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Pakistan survived the first nine overs without losing a wicket. But the momentum changed when Nahid came into the attack. His pace and sharp bouncers unsettled the visiting batters, eventually bowling them out for just 114 runs.

Nahid also revealed that before bowling he had spoken with senior pacers about the nature of the wicket.

“At the beginning, Mustafizur bhai and Taskin bhai were bowling. I was talking to them about how the wicket was behaving. They told me that if you hit the wicket hard or maintain a consistent line and length in the right areas, it would be difficult for the batters. I just tried to apply that on the field,” he explained.

The young pacer, who has drawn attention for his pace since the start of his career, believes that in international cricket skill matters more than speed.

“I don’t think too much about pace. In international cricket, skill is more important than speed. That’s why I try to focus more on developing my skills,” Nahid said.

Although he has not had many opportunities in ODIs so far, Nahid Rana is determined to cement his place in the team. To achieve that, his only goal is to deliver consistent performances according to his ability.