Dhaka, May 18 (IANS) Bangladesh young pacer Nahid Rana has credited senior pacer Taskin Ahmed for playing a crucial role in his fast rise in international cricket. He said the experienced bowler has guided him like an elder brother during the early stages of his career.

Rana has become one of Bangladesh’s top fast-bowling prospects in recent months after a series of impressive performances in different formats. The 23-year-old had a breakthrough in April, earning the Player of the Series award in Bangladesh’s ODI series win over New Zealand.

He was later named ICC Men’s Player of the Month. He continued that strong performance into Test cricket, taking five wickets against Pakistan in the opening Test. This helped Bangladesh secure their first win of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Despite his quick success since his international debut in 2024, Rana believes that Taskin’s support and advice have been vital to his growth.

“My relationship with him (Taskin) is very good. I have watched him play since I was young, and after seeing him up close, I think of him as an elder brother. He always treats me with care like a younger brother,” Rana was quoted by ICC as saying.

“Whenever I make mistakes, he says, ‘Rana, it will be good for you if you do these things.’ Since he has already gone through this phase of life and cricket, he guides me a lot. I always see him as an elder brother, and our relationship is like that.”

The two bowlers combined effectively again during the second Test against Pakistan, sharing five wickets on the second day as the hosts were bowled out for 232. Bangladesh gained a first-innings lead of 46 and ended the day strongly at 110/3 in their second innings, building their overall advantage to 156 runs.

While Taskin made early breakthroughs with the new ball, Rana created one of the key moments of the innings by dismissing former Pakistan captain Babar Azam. The young pacer also wrapped up the lower order, finishing with figures of 3/60 from 12.4 overs. This performance highlighted his growing importance in Bangladesh’s pace attack.

–IANS

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