If you ever find yourself lost in downtown Dhaka, the chances are that there will be plenty of passers-by offering help. There’s also the likelihood that you will receive several different versions of the directions needed to get you to your destination. Similarly, whenever the question is raised about how Bangladesh’s recent improvement in pace bowling has arisen, there are numerous theories.

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Donald on Mentality

Allan Donald was the Bangladesh bowling coach when the shift in focus towards fast bowling began to bear fruit. With more than 600 wickets for the Proteas, Donald clearly knows a thing or two about fast bowling, and when we spoke in 2023, he stressed the importance of mindset.

“The biggest challenge was changing the way they think about themselves and collectively how to be much more aggressive as a group,” he said.

“The one glaring thing that stood out for me was that they are very much outcome driven – every ball they were scared of making mistakes, as an example they were worried about bowling a bumper and going for six.

“It took a long time and convincing to change that: it’s ok to go for six or four because we need to take the game on.”

Pitch Perfect

If you happen to sit through a press conference before, after, or in between matches in Bangladesh, there’s one question that is guaranteed to be asked. Regardless of who’s answering the questions or what the most significant topic of the day is, someone will say, “So, how is the pitch today?” It’s as instinctive as swatting away a mosquito.

Following Bangladesh’s recent 2-0 Test win against Pakistan, with both Tests going into a fifth day, and the white-ball series against Australia, it’s a question that deserves examination. It’s rare for Test matches to last five days in Bangladesh and end in a result. If it’s not a featherbed that’s been produced, it’s likely to be a lifeless, slow, and low-turner.

Yet the pitches in the Pakistan and Australia series were different; they offered something for everyone, batters and bowlers of all persuasions. This is quite a shift in approach. Less than a year ago, a strange-looking Mirpur wicket produced a record-breaking 92 overs of spin in an ODI.

Times appear to be changing, and the surfaces that fast bowlers have been crying out for are finally being delivered. Whether through accident or design, these are pitches that can only develop better cricketers; the BCB and, more importantly, the ground staff deserve a big tick.

Fast Bowling’s Rise and Shakib’s Decline

Clearly, the rise of Bangladesh’s fast bowling has been the overriding narrative for the past few years, for those who have bothered to take notice. Nahid Rana is no longer Bangladesh’s best-kept secret, after bursting onto the scene at Rawalpindi and then Jamaica in 2024 and a relatively quiet 2025, the speed merchant’s stock is rising to unparalleled levels for a Bangladesh cricketer. His searing pace is Bangladesh cricket’s biggest asset right now.

There have been various theories for the new prominence of fast bowling in Bangladesh cricket culture, and several parties can stake a claim in this. Tamim Iqbal insists that it was Mominul Haque who championed the cause of the pacers when it was unfashionable to do so. Previous bowling coaches from Courtney Walsh to Ottis Gibson and Allan Donald have also played a role.

Indeed, the Bangladesh fast bowlers who have carried the torch throughout the early years of the team’s existence are also owed a debt of gratitude; Hasibul Hossain Shanto, Taposh Baisya, and Mashrafe Mortaza deserve their dues for plugging away when there were easier options to take up in the game.

We shouldn’t make everything about Shakib Al Hasan, but it’s difficult not to escape the conclusion that Bangladesh’s rise as a fast-bowling force is in direct correlation to Shakib’s demise. If we take 2021 (the year when Shakib returned from his ban) onwards as the last chapter of his storied career, it coincides with the discovery of true fast bowling talent in Bangladesh.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but the Bangladesh thinktank clearly didn’t feel the need to develop pace bowling, as long as Shakib was in his pomp and winning matches for fun. The team itself, without the regular off-field melodrama that Shakib’s presence demands, also appears to be calmer. Maybe for the first time, this is a side where you can’t see Shakib being included in the starting XI – that really is progress.

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