Nahid Rana sparked comparisons with Waqar Younis from Shaun Tait in Chattogram on Wednesday, as the Bangladesh fast bowling coach praised the young pacer’s yorkers, bounce and sustained pace ahead of the ODI decider against New Zealand. Tait used the reference to underline Rana’s impact in high-pressure phases of the innings.
Tait placed strong emphasis on fitness and sustained speed as the foundation of Rana’s impact. He linked those qualities directly to the demands of long spells in hot conditions and argued that Rana already handles that workload better than most young fast bowlers. He framed endurance not as an add-on skill but as the core reason Rana can bowl at his current intensity.
“He’s very fit. He’s fitter than what I was.” Tait used his own playing career as a reference point to underline the level Rana already operates at physically. “It seems to be a little bit easier for him because he’s a great athlete.” He stressed athleticism as the driver behind consistency at high pace rather than technical manipulation.
Tait also made a clear technical judgement on Rana’s skill set, particularly his wicket-taking options. He identified yorkers and short-pitched bowling as the most effective parts of Rana’s armoury in this series and linked them to proven fast-bowling success patterns. That view places emphasis on execution under pressure rather than expanding variation.
“What I really enjoyed about this series so far was the last match, his yorkers.” Tait highlighted direct impact moments rather than general performance. “That sort of brings back the days of Waqar Younis.” He compared Rana’s approach to a strike-focused fast bowler who built success on attacking execution at the death.
