Rana resumes bowling, eyes October return

Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana has resumed bowling after spending around six weeks on the sidelines with an injury, raising hopes of his return to competitive cricket in October.

Rana bowled with a shortened run-up at the Mirpur Academy Ground today under the supervision of national team pace bowling coach Talha Jubair and team physiotherapist Bayezidul Islam.

The 23-year-old pacer sustained an injury during Bangladesh’s series against Zimbabwe in July, which forced him to miss the subsequent two-match Test series against Australia.

Rana is expected to continue bowling with a short run-up over the coming days as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) takes a cautious approach to his rehabilitation.

He is not expected to feature in the cricket event of the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, but selectors are hopeful he will be fit to return during Bangladesh’s scheduled series against Afghanistan in October.

Bangladesh are currently scheduled to play one Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan. The ODI series could potentially be turned into a tri-nation tournament if Zimbabwe agree to participate.

It is believed Nahid could be considered for either format during the Afghanistan series, depending on his fitness and the team’s requirements.

However, the BCB is keen to avoid rushing the pacer back into action and expects him to regain full match fitness before October.