It was the innings that all of Bangladesh has been waiting for. Tanzid came with a big billing after he helped Bangladesh win the Under-19 World Cup in 2020. In July this year, he struck three fifties in four innings in the ACC Men’s Emerging Cup in Sri Lanka. He got a duck on ODI debut in the Asia Cup, before he struggled through the New Zealand ODIs at home, and the first three World Cup games.
Every Bangladesh press conferences in the last 12 days had at least three questions about Tanzid or the “opening pair”. The team management stuck by him despite so much speculation and pressure around picking him. Nobody really thought what it was like for Tanzid in the last four weeks. What should have been the happiest time of his life became a bitter beginning to an international career.
Like most Cricket-mad kids from the subcontinent, Tanzid was trained very early in his life about tackling high pressure situations. It starts at home. For Tanzid, it started when he was in Class 6. In an interview to Bangla Tribune before the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, Tanzid told the story about the time when his father kicked him out of his house for playing cricket.
Tanzid Hasan faced early struggles in his international career•Associated Press
“My father, who worked in the public sector, brought me and my sister to Bogra for better education,” Tanzid said. “I was more into cricket so one day he kicked me out of the house. I was in Class 6. I had just returned home after playing cricket when he scolded me, and then literally sent me out. My father used to think that playing will cost me my education. ‘I don’t want a son like you. I brought you here for education, and you are wasting your time playing cricket?’ he told me that day.”
Tanzid though quickly convinced his father that he was the real deal, but obviously with a lot of help from his mother. “Dad came around when he saw that I was good at cricket, especially at the age-group division level in Bogra. If it wasn’t for my mother though, playing cricket would have been impossible.
“My mother realised that I loved playing the game. So she slowly convinced dad. ‘He is your son. Do what you think is best,’ dad would tell mom. Finally though, dad agreed (to let me play cricket seriously),” said Tanzid.
Tanzid’s big leap was when he joined the famed Bangla Trac Cricket Academy, 104km southwest of Bogra, in Rajshahi. Tanzid top-scored in the Dhaka First Division Cricket League in his first season, before making it to the Under-19 side. The country first noticed him after he made 80 off 84 balls against South Africa in the World Cup quarterfinal.
His name sparked a lot of interest too. The Under-19 team had an opener named Tamim and a fast bowler called Sakib. So were his parents fans of Tamim Iqbal that he named him after the Bangladesh opener?
Tanzid was born in 2000 so there’s no chance of that happening. Instead it was Tanzid’s neighbor who explained to him the advantage of being a left-handed batter in Bangladesh.
“Sojol bhai, my neighbor who taught me everything about cricket since I was in Class 3, made me a left-handed batter. He always told me that a lefty has more opportunities in Bangladesh. I started following Tamim bhai. I loved playing the cut and pull like him. I want to be a complete left-handed batter like Tamim bhai.
“My parents gave me this name Tamim. I recognised Tamim bhai when I started playing cricket in my childhood. I loved that my name was similar to Tamim bhai’s, and that I bat left-handed like him. I am also an opener like him. But my parents didn’t name me after Tamim bhai,” said Tanzid.
Few days before all hell broke loose in Bangladesh cricket, Tamim senior gave his namesake the stamp of approval. “I have always been his fan. Maybe everyone says that in press conferences but those close to me know that when the Under-19 team won the title, I always thought he was the best player in that team.
“It is unfortunate that it took him so long to come to the national team, but I always believed he was the best batter in the team. It was great to see him score runs. It won’t take long. He is a quality player. Batting, fielding, approach, attitude – everything,” said Tamim.
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Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
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