Tanzid Hasan Tamim, one of Bangladesh’s white-ball regulars, has been called up to the Test squad for the first time. The left-handed opener, known for his aggressive stroke play all around the ground, has been backed by Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who believes he can bring ‘extra impact’ to the team.
Ahead of the first of the two-Test series against Pakistan, Shanto said at a press conference that if Tamim gets the opportunity, he should play in his natural white-ball style even in the longer format.
“Basically, I don’t want anything extra from Tamim. The way he plays ODI and T20 cricket, personally I want him to continue playing that way. If he plays like that, the team will automatically be in a good position on the day he plays a long innings,” Shanto said.
Tanzid, who recently scored a quickfire 76 against New Zealand in an ODI, has five first-class centuries in 45 innings. Shanto said he expects nothing beyond his natural game. “So there’s nothing extra. However, a character like Tamim will definitely add extra impact to the team.”
While praising Tamim’s potential impact, Shanto also underlined the importance of batting discipline in the first innings and sticking to roles within the team.
He said, “Like I said, scoring runs is important, especially in the first innings. If we score 50 in 10 overs, that’s fine; if we score 20 in 10 overs, that’s also fine. But everyone should play according to their role and the way they prefer to play.”
