Tanzid Tamim rues 'unlucky' last-ball dismissal for Towhid Hridoy
Hridoy slammed a century, but was dismissed on the final ball of Day 1 in Joburg
Bangladesh opener Tanzid Tamim described Towhid Hridoy's dismissal off the final ball of the opening day as 'unlucky', after the centurion helped his side recover from a precarious position in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Hridoy struck a sensational 137 to lift Bangladesh to 327 for six after they had slipped to 22 for three. He first added 99 runs for the fourth wicket with Tanzid (67) before the latter departed, with experienced campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim following soon after for a golden duck.
South Africa looked poised to run through the lower order, but Hridoy and Litton Das produced an outstanding rearguard effort, putting together a 206-run stand for the sixth wicket, Bangladesh's highest partnership for any wicket against the Proteas.
Hridoy's innings, which came off 227 balls and included 14 fours and a six, ended in the day's final over when Marco Jansen trapped him plumb in front. Having battled through the day to rescue his side, the batter would have been disappointed to fall just before stumps.
"I would say it was unlucky (to get out on the last ball). But what he has done for the team will certainly be very valuable for us," Tanzid said.
The opener, who played alongside Hridoy in Bangladesh's victorious 2020 Under-19 World Cup campaign, said it was difficult to put into words the experience of watching his former teammate bat from the other end.
Hridoy has been in remarkable form in the longer format. He had struck an unbeaten 242, Bangladesh's highest individual Test score, against West Indies in Sylhet in their previous Test, having earlier scored an unbeaten 350 for Bangladesh A against South Africa A on the same tour.
"Honestly, it is difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed watching his innings. When he last came here with the Bangladesh A team, he scored an unbeaten 350. That must have given him a huge amount of confidence, and he brought the same confidence into today's innings.
"Unfortunately, he got out on the last ball of the day. But the way he has been batting over the last couple of Test matches has been truly outstanding. I think he will continue in the same manner and achieve even greater things for Bangladesh, InshaAllah," Tanzid said.
Tanzid, who scored a century against Australia earlier this year, said he had not approached his innings with the specific target of reaching three figures.
"I have never really played with the thought of scoring a century. My focus was on surviving the new ball and contributing something good for the team. That was exactly my approach today as well," he said.
He also explained the decision to let debutant Mahfijul Islam face the first ball of the innings. Mahfijul, who came in for Shadman Islam, was dismissed for a golden duck after edging Kagiso Rabada.
"Regarding Robin (Mahfijul), I actually discussed this with him yesterday. I asked him whether I should take the strike or whether he wanted to face the first ball. He clearly told me that he wanted to take the strike in his debut match. Normally, I take the first ball, but since he was comfortable with it, we gave him that opportunity," Tanzid said.
Looking ahead to the second morning, the opener stressed the importance of extending their partnerships and batting for as long as possible.
"We had two very good partnerships today. After losing early wickets, we managed to build a partnership, and then Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy put together an outstanding 200-run stand. It was truly exceptional.
"The longer we can bat tomorrow morning, the better it will be for us. Runs will come naturally if we spend more time at the crease. So, I believe batting for as long as possible is the best approach," he added.
