Bangladesh’s search for a consistent opening pair in One Day Internationals has intensified ahead of their upcoming series against Pakistan. In the previous ODI series, the 176-run opening partnership between Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan laid the foundation for a comprehensive victory over West Indies cricket team. However, Tanzid Hasan had struggled in recent form, managing only a single fifty in his last nine innings.
Despite this, Bangladesh had experimented with a new opening combination against West Indies, which yielded some success. Tanzid’s excellent form in domestic cricket over the past four months earned him a return to the national side, and he immediately justified the selection.
Against Pakistan, Bangladesh bowled out their opponents for a mere 114 runs, with Tanzid’s fearless batting playing a pivotal role. Pakistan’s batsmen were unable to mount any meaningful resistance, succumbing to the aggressive intent displayed by Tanzid at the crease.
Head coach Mike Hesson reflected on the performance: “When defending below-average totals, it’s difficult to create pressure with conventional bowling alone. We wanted the batsmen to play with extra freedom, and that’s exactly what they did.”
In T20 cricket, Tanzid has been Bangladesh’s number one opener, finishing last year as the highest run-scorer in the format. His approach in the ODI against Pakistan mirrored that style: 62 runs from 42 balls with four fours and five sixes, achieving a strike rate above 150 for the first time while chasing. Bangladesh wrapped up the match in just 15.1 overs.
Tanzid had replaced last match’s player of the match, Soumya Sarkar, and a strong performance was crucial to cement his place in the eleven. Prior to the series, he scored a century in a warm-up match against the BPL All-Stars and had already posted 187 runs in four innings during the BPL ODI edition, averaging 46.75 at a strike rate of 109.36. In comparison, Soumya managed just 18 runs in three innings, never reaching double figures.
Recent Domestic Performance
| Tournament | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s/100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPL ODI Edition | 4 | 187 | 46.75 | 109.36 | 1/1 |
| Warm-up Match | 1 | 100+ | – | – | 1 |
Bangladesh will play 22 ODIs this year, aiming to break into the top nine in the ICC rankings. The team is also experimenting with a new batting order: Litton Das at five and Mehedi Hasan Miraz at seven. The opening slot remains competitive, with Tanzid signalling his intent to challenge established openers Saif and Soumya.
While Tanzid has yet to score an international century in T20 or ODI cricket, his composed yet aggressive style consistently sets him apart. The upcoming matches in this series will be decisive in determining whether he will become Bangladesh’s preferred number one ODI opener. His promising start suggests the selectors’ faith may be well placed.
At just the beginning of this campaign, Tanzid has already made a statement; now all eyes are on the remaining two matches to see if he can secure his spot at the top of Bangladesh’s ODI order.