In the last over of the first innings, West Indies were cruising at 143 for 3 after opting to bat first against Bangladesh in the opening match of the three-match T20I series. However, at Chattogram’s Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, the Caribbean side finished strongly at 165 for 3, thanks to Rovman Powell, who hit three consecutive sixes off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, conceding 20 runs in that over.
On Monday, that costly final over proved to be one of the deciding factors in the game for Bangladesh. Tanzim, who bowled the last over, admitted it was a bad day for both him and the team, as Bangladesh lost the series opener by 16 runs while chasing 166.
In the post-match press conference, when asked about his expensive bowling figures of 4-0-47-0, he reflected on the last over. “The last over of bowling was actually a bad day. I think I needed a little more perfection in execution. There was an execution error. I will work on that,” he said.
Despite his bowling setback, Tanzim contributed with the bat, scoring 33 off 27 balls while the top order struggled to give Bangladesh a strong start. After an early collapse, he shared a crucial 40-run partnership from 23 balls to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive.
However, Tanzim was eventually caught while attempting to slice Jason Holder’s slower bouncer to Roston Chase at deep backward point. Reflecting on his innings, he expressed some regret. “I really wish I could have finished the game. It was a good contribution for me because I was set and the ball was connecting well with the bat,” he said.
Tanzim also highlighted the importance of Nasum Ahmed’s quickfire 20 off 13 balls. “Nasum Bhai supported me well and hit a boundary too. That was a big plus point for me,” he praised his batting partner.
“It felt like I was batting with a set batsman. I think it would have been great if I could have finished the game, gone a little deeper, right up to the last over. So, there will certainly be regret about that,” Tanzim added.
