Article:, Bangladesh’s national cricket squad recently underwent a revamped fitness assessment, introducing straightforward endurance tests in place of the conventional Yo-Yo and beep evaluations. And towering pacer Nahid Rana didn’t just pass—he dominated.
Held at Dhaka’s National Stadium on August 10, 2025, the squad’s 25-member lineup—though only 22 participated—undertook a 1600-meter timed run and a 40-meter sprint under the watchful eyes of newly appointed strength and conditioning coach Nathan Keily HT SyndicationCricket Addictor.
Amid stiff competition, Nahid Rana emerged as the undisputed star, clocking 5 minutes 31 seconds, the fastest time among all athletes tested OneCricketCricket Addictor. This superb effort placed him in the exclusive ‘elite’ fitness category—no other teammate managed to achieve this impossible pace threshold ProthomaloBSS.
Echoing the tone of widespread praise, one member of the team management noted, “Rana was just outstanding. Few others did well, but a couple of cricketers couldn’t meet our expectations.” OneCricketCricket Addictor
Behind him in performance: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (6:01) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6:10) led the first batch, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib paced the second group with a solid 5:53 The Financial ExpressCricket Addictor.
Conversely, some big names, including Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Tanvir Islam, were alarmingly slow—taking nearly eight minutes to finish the run The Financial ExpressCricket Addictor, raising early alarm ahead of key fixtures.
Beyond individual times, this fitness test introduced a clear grading system:
- Elite: under 5:40
- Competent/Satisfactory: between 5:40–6:20
- Limited: over 6:20 ProthomaloBSS
Nahid Rana is currently the sole player to meet the elite standard.
This fitness test—not merely evaluative but strategic—marks the first phase in ramping up physical readiness. The next step: a skill training camp set to begin in Sylhet on August 20, ahead of the national side’s T20I series against the Netherlands and the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE The Financial Express.
For more on Nahid Rana’s cricketing journey and record pace bowling, explore his player profile on Wikipedia—he’s already recognized for delivering the fastest ball by a Bangladeshi bowler Wikipedia.
