Bangladesh's opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim eventually repaid the faith shown in him with a maiden ODI century that helped the hosts clinch the three-match series against Pakistan 2-1.

Tanzid reached the landmark with a towering six, a stroke that reflected his willingness to take on deliveries in his scoring zones. His celebration, though, appeared to carry a sense of relief as much as joy.

The knock not only sealed the series but also answered critics who had questioned his selection ahead of the more experienced Soumya Sarkar. Sarkar did not feature in the playing XI during the series despite scoring a match-winning 91 in his previous outing for Bangladesh against West Indies in October.

The decision to back Tanzid came despite him missing out during the West Indies series, but captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz had insisted the opener deserved a proper run after working on his game in recent months.

"Tanzid Tamim is a very talented player. And I believe that the way he plays cricket, he should be scoring runs on most days. That is what I think. And if he scores runs, it will be a great help for the team. And look at the way he has batted, so I definitely feel his areas are being worked upon," said Mehidy.

"And look, he didn't play in the last series. But from the BPL onwards to our recent tournament, he was a top performer there too, and he scored a century in the practice match. Meaning he is in great rhythm and very confident."

Mehidy also stressed the importance of giving players a longer rope.

"What we are trying to do is ensure that whoever gets the opportunity, especially in the case of batsmen, gets more opportunities so they can realize for themselves that if they play poorly, they might have to leave their spot and give it to someone else," he said.

The captain's trust paid off as Tanzid struck a run-a-ball 107, including six fours and seven sixes, before being caught at cover off Abrar Ahmed.

Tanzid said the hundred was special but pointed to a crucial phase when Pakistan's quicks extracted reverse swing.

"The first century is always special, Alhamdulillah," said Tanzid. "I tried to play as long as possible on the wicket because for the first 20 overs the ball was coming onto the bat normally. But after 20 overs, as the ball got older, it wasn't coming as easily."

"At that time the ball was reversing a bit. So I was discussing it with [Najmul Hossain] Shanto bhai. He told me that those two or three overs were very important and it would become easier after that. So I tried to survive that phase and play carefully."

Tanzid, who had earlier struck an unbeaten 67 off 42 balls when Bangladesh chased 114 in the first ODI, said he was clear about the shot that brought up his hundred.

"I was clear-minded. Without a clear mind, no one plays such a risky shot at such a time and what I felt was that it would be good, and I went with my decision," he said.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson admitted Tanzid punished anything loose.

"Look, he fed off anything that we missed. When we bowled too straight, he picked it off nicely. When we bowled a little bit wide, he hit it through the offside," said Hesson.

"So he was quite relentless in terms of if you missed your line, he was going to take advantage of it."

The innings, built around patience during the middle overs and aggression when opportunities arose, marked an important step in Tanzid's early international career.