Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg: Bishop on Nahid

Dhaka, 29 Oct - Former West Indies fast bowler and renowned commentator Ian Bishop urged the Bangladesh team management not to risk with Nahid Rana's fitness for immediate success.

Touting Nahid as one of the most promising young fast bowlers in world cricket, Bishop said the exceptional pace makes him a valuable prospect for any international team.

He also tipped Nahid to achieve the global stardom if he can play to his potential.

"When you have a guy who can bowl at 150 kilometer per hour pace, every team in the world will cut off their right hand to have one or two of those," Bishop said.

However, he warned Bangladesh against rushing the young pacer back into international cricket before he fully recovers from injury, stressing that fast bowling places considerable strain on the body.

"Be careful with him. Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg because you want immediate success," he cautioned.

Bishop, who himself endured stress fractures during his playing career, recommended close coordination among Bangladesh's medical, fitness and coaching staff to help Nahid build the physical resilience required for a long career.

Nahid's absence from Bangladesh's tour of Australia was disappointing, Bishop said, as he had been eager to see the young pacer exploit the extra bounce on Australian pitches.

 "I believe that Nahid is one of the potential superstars of the world game," he said, adding that Bangladesh could enter a new era if the pacer remained fit and fulfilled his potential.

Bishop also expressed satisfaction with the overall development of Bangladesh's pace attack, highlighting the progress made by Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain and Shoriful Islam.

He said Bangladesh had moved beyond relying primarily on spin bowling and a single fast bowler, creating greater options for Test cricket across different conditions.

Recalling watching Hasan Mahmud bowl with three slips and a gully, Bishop said the fielding arrangement evoked memories of Australia's fast bowlers and the great West Indies attacks of the past.

"It heartens me for the Bangladesh people that we've moved from having one quick bowler to now having five or six that you can choose from," he said.

Bishop praised Hasan's control and consistency, describing him as an outstanding line bowler capable of repeatedly hitting specific areas of the pitch.

Bishop said Bangladesh Cricket Board's efforts to build a pace-oriented attack could also benefit the country's batters by preparing them for conditions they encounter overseas.

Bishop also praised Liton Das for his improvement in Test cricket, although he acknowledged that the wicketkeeper-batter might have been expected to achieve more in white-ball formats.

He recalled his famous description of Liton's innings against the West Indies in 2019 as a "Monalisa" painting, explaining that such observations often emerged naturally from years of reading, watching sport and broadening his interests.

"I think when you over-prepare it, it sounds fake. So I think it has to be organic," Bishop said of his commentary.BSS