Tanzid Hasan Tamim fell for 83 after an explosive start, but Bangladesh reached 134-1 at lunch on the opening day of their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
The left-handed opener struck eight fours and four sixes in just 71 balls, raising hopes of a rapid century before medium-pacer Ismat Alam had him caught by the wicketkeeper. Tanzid’s dismissal ended Bangladesh’s opening stand at 124.
Bangladesh’s fastest Test century belongs jointly to Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, who reached three figures in 94 balls. Tanzid had threatened to challenge that record with his aggressive approach at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
His opening partner, Shadman Islam, survived an early scare when Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi dropped a straightforward catch at short field. Shadman remained unbeaten on 41 at the end of the first session, while Mominul Haque was 5 not out.
Bangladesh reached 134-1 after 26 overs at lunch, with Ismat the only Afghanistan bowler to take a wicket.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to bat in Bangladesh’s first Test at a neutral venue. The side included three spinners, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, alongside pacers Hasan Mahmud and Ebadot Hossain.
Tanzid had attacked from the outset, putting Afghanistan’s bowlers under pressure. Although Shadman looked less settled early on, he survived to build a strong opening partnership with Tanzid before the latter departed.
Bangladesh will resume after lunch with Shadman and Mominul at the crease, looking to build on a productive first session despite missing out on a century for Tanzid.
