Rana ‘expected to be fit’ for Darwin Test

Bangladesh are facing an anxious wait over Nahid Rana’s fitness ahead of next month’s two-match Test series in Australia after the pace sensation suffered a side-strain during the second T20I against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last Friday.

The injury forced him to miss Sunday’s series-deciding third T20I, which the Tigers won to seal a 2-1 series victory, and he will undergo scans after returning home with the squad on Wednesday.

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Initial reports suggested Rana could need two to three weeks to recover, casting doubt over his availability for the first Test, which begins in Darwin on August 13.

However, the BCB selection panel remain optimistic, with Bangladesh set to depart for Australia on August 1. “We are expecting him to be fit for the series but after the scans we will know the extent of the strain,” a member of the selection panel told The Daily Star yesterday.

Rana has become a vital cog in Bangladesh’s pace attack, and in the recent ODI series against Australia at home, the lanky right-hander claimed four wickets in the opening fixture.

Meanwhile, T20I captain Litton Das is also recovering from an injury after missing the Zimbabwe ODIs. He is in Singapore and will also undergo scans on Wednesday before returning on July 25 following his assessment, informed the BCB medical department.

Shoriful Islam is also nursing an injury but appears to be recovering well. Chief selector Habibul Bashar said the panel are awaiting the medical reports before announcing the squad in the coming days.

The series will be Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in 23 years. Australia have named a full-strength squad featuring Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, while Rana has already been highlighted as a potential threat by coach Andrew McDonald.

"Rana got us in the first game, didn't he?" McDonald told cricket.com.au recently.

"Sometimes that can be sight unseen as well -- we hadn't had a look at him and he comes in with a different action. You've got Taskin [Ahmed], you've got Rana, you've got Shoriful [Islam], they've got some depth there outside of those guys as well. So they've got a pace attack that, in Australia, could be pretty potent," he said.
 

For now, Bangladesh remain in wait-and-watch mode, hoping both Rana and Litton recover in time for the tour.