Parvez Hossain Emon etched his name into the record books on Saturday with a sensational century against the UAE at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, becoming only the second Bangladeshi to score a T20I hundred, surpassing Tamim Iqbal.
Tamim held the record as Bangladesh's only T20I centurion for nearly a decade after scoring 103* against Oman during the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Parvez's 53-ball century, featuring powerful strokeplay and intelligent placement, included nine sixes — the most by a Bangladeshi in a T20I match.
"Yes, I was well aware of Tamim bhai's [record] as he scored that hundred against Oman. I try to watch all his games," Emon said.
"Alhamdulillah, I am feeling good as I scored a century. After returning home, I remembered that Tamim bhai scored the first century. I am happy because I used to watch Tamim bhai's game as a child and now my name is right next to his," he added.
Despite his heroics, Bangladesh were restricted to 191/7 due to a middle-order collapse, with only Towhid Hridoy providing notable support.
Emon acknowledged the need to stay composed amid the fall of wickets.
"When the wickets were falling I just tried not to change my intent and I was always waiting to play to my strengths. But at the same time I was keeping this in my head that I needed to take the game deep and I had to carry on. I just tried to give the best," he added.
Captain Litton Das praised Emon's innings but emphasised the importance of finishing the innings strongly.
"Definitely, it was a good total. The wicket was very good for batting and the way Emon batted was outstanding," Litton said.
"But we have to finish better. We couldn't score much in the last three overs," he said.
Bangladesh lead the two-match series 1-0 and will face the UAE again in the series decider on May 19 in Sharjah.
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