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Nahid Rana’s T20I Debut Turns Sour as UAE Stuns Bangladesh in Sharjah
UAE Registers Historic T20I Win Against Bangladesh
In a dramatic turn of events in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stunned Bangladesh by clinching a nail-biting two-wicket victory in the second T20I of the three-match series held on Monday, May 19, 2025. This historic win marked UAE’s first-ever T20I victory against Bangladesh, leveling the series 1-1 and shaking up the cricketing world.
The spotlight, however, was on Bangladesh’s fast bowling prodigy Nahid Rana, who made his much-anticipated T20I debut. Known for his express pace and success in Tests and ODIs, expectations were sky-high. But the debut turned out to be a reality check for the young speedster.
Rana’s Debut Marred by Nerves and No-Balls
Early Hype Meets Harsh Reality
Nahid Rana, who has built a growing reputation as one of Bangladesh’s fastest bowlers, faced a challenging start on his T20I debut. The right-arm pacer began with two consecutive no-balls — one of which was a beamer that flew for a six. The momentum never quite returned after that shaky start.
In his full four-over quota, Rana conceded 50 runs, making it a forgettable outing despite picking up two wickets during the death overs. His erratic line and overuse of short deliveries allowed UAE’s top-order, especially Mohammad Waseem, to capitalize.
Waseem hammered 82 runs, attacking square of the wicket and using Rana’s pace against him. The Bangladesh team’s bowling lacked variety and seemed to falter under the pressure of dew and short boundaries — something Litton Das acknowledged after the match.
📌 Related: Bangladesh vs UAE T20I 2025: Full Match Report & Analysis
Litton Das on Bangladesh’s Fielding Errors and Bowling Missteps
“We Expected More from Nahid Rana” – Litton Das
Following the loss, Bangladesh captain Litton Das shared his views at the post-match presentation. While praising the team’s batting efforts on a good Sharjah surface, he didn’t shy away from criticizing the bowling approach during the middle overs and the team’s fielding lapses.
“We expected more from him,” Litton said, speaking about Rana. “As a cricketer, you have both good and bad days. We’ll sit down, talk things through, and come back stronger tomorrow.”
He further emphasized the importance of tactical adaptability, especially when playing under unique ground and weather conditions.
“When you play on a certain kind of ground — which is small and where dew becomes a big factor — you have to be calculative with your bowling. You need different plans for different batters,” he added.
Despite the disappointment, Litton urged the team and fans to see this as a learning curve, especially for young talents like Rana.
A Debut to Learn From, Not to Forget
For Nahid Rana, the debut may have been far from ideal, but it serves as a crucial learning experience. Fast bowlers often take time to adapt to the demands of T20 cricket — where variations, precision, and temperament are just as important as raw speed.
His pace is still an asset for Bangladesh, but honing it with better control and match-awareness will be key to his future success in the shortest format.
Bangladesh will aim to bounce back stronger in the series decider, while UAE’s historic win will give them much-needed confidence going forward.
Full Scorecard & Match Report – UAE vs BAN 2nd T20I on Cricbuzz.
