Tanzid Tamim Blazes 83 Before Lunch But Bangladesh Rue a Wasted Century Against Afghanistan

Bangladesh Test opener Tanzid Tamim looked destined for the record books on the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday, only to fall for a blistering 83 around 15 minutes before lunch — a dismissal that left his team's brains trust acknowledging a major missed opportunity.

The left-hander was in sublime touch and well placed to cash in on a promising start, having struck eight fours and four sixes. He was also closing in on Tamim Iqbal's record for the most runs by a Bangladesh batter in the first session of a Test match — Tamim's 86 against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019 — and appeared on course for his second Test hundred, having scored his maiden century against Australia in Darwin earlier this year in a knock that played a significant role in Bangladesh's historic Test victory.

How the innings unravelled

The breakthrough came through a smart piece of captaincy from Afghanistan's Rahmat Shah, who brought the wicketkeeper up to the stumps. Ismat Alam bowled cleverly wide of the batter, inducing a loose shot that wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil collected safely, ending Tanzid's stay just short of the interval.

Tanzid had announced himself early, striking Yamin Ahmadzai for two fours in a 15-run over in just the fifth over of the innings. He kept the Afghanistan attack under pressure throughout, lofting Ahmadzai over the covers for his first six before launching left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman for sixes in consecutive overs. The bowling attack appeared to have few answers to his range of strokes before the Alam-Alikhil combination brought the innings to an abrupt halt.

A century before lunch slips away

His dismissal prompted debate in the commentary box about his approach, with the consensus being that he had missed the chance to join an exclusive club of batters who have scored a century before lunch on the first day of a Test — a list that includes Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney, Don Bradman, Majid Khan, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan.

However, a member of Bangladesh's selection panel offered a different perspective, telling Cricbuzz that while Tanzid may have unknowingly been on course to make history, the greater concern was his failure to make the most of a favourable situation.

"He definitely missed a hundred," the selector said following his dismissal. "I think he wanted to score the hundred before lunch and had to pay for losing his concentration, and that is not something we are very happy with. In cricket, when things are going your way, you need to cash in as much as possible."

While acknowledging the quality of the strokeplay, the selector stressed that the left-hander needed to become more measured in the way he constructed his innings.

"There are two ways one can look at it: one is praising him for his entertaining knock, while the other is making him understand that he missed a chance to score a big Test hundred because he had all the time in his hands and was hitting the ball through the middle of his bat throughout his innings," he said.

"For us, the earlier he understands the value of his wicket, the better. He has the talent and technique, and what he needs to do now is bat a bit more sensibly. In that case, he can translate these innings into big hundreds," he added.

"Just think, if he had stayed till the end, how much could he have scored? Not once did he look uncomfortable in the middle, and it never looked like they could get him out unless he gave away his wicket. That turned out to be the case eventually."

Shadman Islam: 'It could have been better'

Fellow opener Shadman Islam, who scored 67, felt Bangladesh could have squeezed even more out of the conditions despite their promising start.

"We had a good start, but it could have been better," Shadman said. "The pitch was very good for batting. We batted well in the morning and had a good partnership, but unfortunately, after some big partnerships, we suddenly lost a few wickets."

For Bangladesh, the opening day offered both encouragement and frustration — the thrill of Tanzid's strokeplay tempered by the feeling that a landmark innings was there for the taking.