Tanzid finally lives up to the billing with maiden ODI century

There was always billing for Tanzid Hasan since his international debut in 2023, but it has taken him close to three years to do some justice to the big claims. Tanzid’s century helped Bangladesh to a timely victory in the third ODI for a series win against Pakistan. The timing of the series will bring Bangladesh some joy after they missed the recent T20 World Cup.

Tanzid was one of those players who missed out on using his good T20 form in the tournament, but he made up for lost time with his innings of 107 on Sunday. However, Tanzid has taken his time. The likes of Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Saim Ayub, who played in the same Under-19 World Cup as Tanzid in 2020, made their senior debuts around the same time as Tanzid.

Unlike those players, though, Tanzid needed a lot more time to settle at the highest level. So this century felt like a long time coming. Maybe more than Tanzid, it was those who have backed him for this long breathed a huge sigh of relief.

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Tanzid came into this series on the back of a strong T20 season in 2025, as well as runs in domestic cricket. He started with an unbeaten half-century in the first ODI, even as Bangladesh were chasing just 115 to win.

On Sunday, however, it was a tougher situation. In this series, Tanzid was selected ahead of Soumya Sarkar, who had made 91 in the third ODI against West Indies last October, which was Bangladesh’s last ODI before the Pakistan series. But after flaying 67* in a meagre chase in the first ODI against Pakistan, Tanzid fell for 1 as they tried to chase 275 in the second game.

On Sunday, Tanzid took off spectacularly with two towering sixes off Haris Rauf. He flicked Rauf over long leg for his first six, and followed it up with a slash over point. Tanzid went after Abrar Ahmed early, too, pinging a straight hit over long-off, before going in the same direction off Faheem Ashraf.

He slammed Maaz Sadaqat and debutant Saad Masood for a six each, before his seventh six helped him bring up his maiden ODI century. Tanzid’s century was a standout knock in the Bangladesh innings, in more ways than one. The rest of the batters struggled on the weary-looking pitch, where the ball held up while the spinners got slow turn.

Tanzid added 105 runs for the opening stand with Saif Hassan, who struggled throughout his 36 off 55 balls. Tanzid, though, remained the only batter who dominated the Pakistan bowling despite slowing down after he had crossed 75. Najmul Hossain Shanto looked slightly more confident in his short innings of 27, but he couldn’t quite push on.

Tanzid Hasan celebrates his maiden ODI hundred BCB

Such was Tanzid’s impact that after his dismissal, Bangladesh struck just one six, and none in the last 14 overs of the innings. The struggle among the rest elevated Tanzid’s century further. When he fell in the 37th over, Bangladesh were in a strong enough position to head towards a 300-plus score, but Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy couldn’t push the score beyond 290. It looked like a deteriorating pitch, with help particularly for the spinners, while the Bangladesh batters couldn’t quite get the Pakistan pace bowlers away.

“We needed a good start to win the series,” Tanzid said after the game. “I wanted to remain in the pitch for a long time. The ball was coming on to the bat only in the first 20 overs, but it was difficult against the older ball. First century definitely was special, but it was important to stick around for long.”

The century was also a much-needed milestone for Tanzid’s international career. He spent nearly three years with the “potential” tag after replacing Tamim Iqbal in the World Cup squad in 2023. Last year was the first time that he looked like he belonged at the highest level, as he became Bangladesh’s highest-scorer in T20Is in 2025. Team-mates and fans welcomed Tanzid’s big-hitting in the shortest format, as a majority of Bangladesh’s aggressive batters couldn’t quite do the big-hitting.

His progress as a batter in the last 12 months has also come with a few questions. When he fell cheaply during Bangladesh’s 275-run chase in the second ODI, there were murmurs about his ability in a big chase. It is, however, too early in his career to raise such concerns. This century, though, helped Tanzid answer the question about his ability, and also whether he can shift from T20s to ODIs.

Tanzid remains Bangladesh’s best bet in the top order in both white-ball formats. He established himself in the T20I side with a strong show last year. With this century against Pakistan, Tanzid will now be confident to establish himself in the ODI side as well. Bangladesh will be keen for Tanzid to settle into the role, particularly as they look for more series wins in what’s going to be a busy 2026 in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup.