Dhaka: Chief Selector Habibul Bashar on Monday stated that Nahid Rana’s inclusion in the T20I series against Zimbabwe was part of a strategic workload management plan. The objective was to ensure that the fast bowler remained match-ready for the upcoming Australia Tests, and Bashar described Nahid’s injury as “unfortunate” rather than something that could have been avoided.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Nahid suffered a side strain during the second T20I in Bulawayo, which has now ruled him out of the two-Test series in Australia. This development has sparked debates over whether he should have participated in the Zimbabwe series.

Bashar explained that Bangladesh’s medical and performance teams use GPS data to monitor the workload of all fast bowlers, moving away from subjective assessments. “Workload management is not just something we talk about anymore,” he told reporters. “Every movement is tracked through GPS, and that data helps determine how many matches a player should play. The same process applies to Nahid, Taskin and all our fast bowlers.”

He further clarified that Nahid’s workload was already managed during the home series against Australia, where he was rested from the Test matches after participating in two One-Day Internationals and two T20Is. “According to the workload data and the physio’s assessment, he was fit to play Test cricket,” Bashar said. “But because the Australia series is important, we took extra precautions and did not play him in those Tests.”

Bashar also noted that keeping a fast bowler out of matches for extended periods can lead to increased injury risks. “We classify bowlers into red, yellow and green zones,” the chief selector said. “Bowling too much can push a player into the red zone, but bowling too little also creates risk. To stay in the green zone, a fast bowler needs to maintain a certain workload.”