Nahid Rana’s maiden five-wicket haul in One Day Internationals helped Bangladesh bundle Pakistan out for 114 in the series opener at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, marking the visitors' lowest score in 50-over cricket against the Tigers.
The previous lowest was 161 in the 1999 World Cup.
The young pacer produced a fiery spell that ripped through Pakistan’s top order, dismissing the opposition’s first five batters to achieve a unique feat in Bangladesh’s ODI history. Nahid became the first Bangladeshi bowler to remove the top five opposition batters in an ODI innings.
Pakistan had begun steadily but their innings quickly unravelled once Nahid came to the attack.
He removed Sahibzada Farhan for 27 before striking repeatedly to send back Shamyl Hussain (4), Maaz Sadaqat (18), Mohammad Rizwan (10), and Salman Agha (5), leaving the visitors deep in trouble at 69 for 5.
Nahid finished with impressive figures of 5 for 24 in seven overs, a spell that triggered the collapse and put Bangladesh firmly on top.
Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz supported the pacer with three wickets, while Taskin Ahmed claimed one as Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals.
A brief resistance came from Faheem Ashraf, who scored 37 off 47 balls, including six fours and a six, helping Pakistan push past the 110-run mark before he was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman. Pakistan eventually fell for 114 in 30.4 overs.
The performance also marked a remarkable turnaround in Nahid’s fledgling ODI career. He had taken only five wickets across his first five matches, but in his sixth appearance, he struck five times within his first five overs.
Nahid is now only the second Bangladeshi bowler to claim a five-wicket haul against Pakistan in ODIs, following Mustafizur Rahman’s 5 for 75 in the 2019 World Cup.
Nahid’s spell also ended a long wait for Bangladesh’s pace bowlers in Mirpur. It was the first five-wicket haul by a Bangladeshi pacer at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in nearly 11 years, the previous instance being Mustafizur’s back-to-back fives against India in 2015. Before Nahid, the most recent five-wicket haul by a Bangladeshi pacer on home soil came in 2023, when Hasan Mahmud took 5 for 32 against Ireland at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Courtesy: Daily Sun
