BAN vs PAK 2026: ‘The first century is always special’ – Tanzid Hasan Tamim reflects on match-winning knock

Tanzid Hasan Tamim smashed his maiden ODI century to help the hosts secure a 2-1 series victory over Pakistan in the three-match series. The left-handed batter reached the milestone in style with a maximum, celebrating the moment with visible relief. Tanzid’s impressive knock also silenced critics who had questioned his selection ahead of the more experienced Soumya Sarkar.

Despite scoring a match-winning 91 against West Indies in his previous outing, Sarkar did not feature in the series. The Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz acknowledged that Tanzid deserved an extended opportunity in the team, especially after working hard on improving his game in recent times.

“Tanzid Tamim is a very talented player. And I believe that the way he plays cricket, he should be scoring runs on most days. That is what I think. And if he scores runs, it will be a great help for the team. And look at the way he has batted, so I definitely feel his areas are being worked upon,” said Mehidy as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“And look, he didn’t play in the last series. But from the BPL onwards to our recent tournament, he was a top performer there too, and he scored a century in the practice match. Meaning he is in great rhythm and very confident,” he added.

Mehidy also emphasised the importance of giving players a longer run in the team to prove themselves. The Bangladesh skipper backed Tanzid, who repaid the faith with a brilliant knock. Tanzid scored a run-a-ball 107, smashing six fours and seven sixes during his innings. His century proved crucial as Bangladesh edged past Pakistan in a tense finish. Bangladesh eventually won the third ODI by 11 runs in a last-over thriller.

“What we are trying to do is ensure that whoever gets the opportunity, especially in the case of batsmen, gets more opportunities so they can realize for themselves that if they play poorly, they might have to leave their spot and give it to someone else,” Mehidy said.

Tanzid also described the century as a special moment in his career but highlighted a crucial phase of the innings when Pakistan pacers began extracting reverse swing. He admitted that the period required extra focus as the bowlers made scoring difficult during the middle stages of the innings. Earlier in the series, he had already made an important contribution, scoring an unbeaten 67 off 42 balls while chasing a target of 114 in the first ODI.

“The first century is always special, Alhamdulillah. I tried to play as long as possible on the wicket because for the first 20 overs the ball was coming onto the bat normally. But after 20 overs, as the ball got older, it wasn’t coming as easily. At that time the ball was reversing a bit. So I was discussing it with [Najmul Hossain] Shanto bhai. He told me that those two or three overs were very important and it would become easier after that. So I tried to survive that phase and play carefully,” said Tanzid.

“I was clear-minded. Without a clear mind, no one plays such a risky shot at such a time and what I felt was that it would be good, and I went with my decision,” he added.