First 10 overs will have a big impact: Soumya

Ahead of the match between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Oval on 5th June, the in form Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar spoke to the reporter at the team hotel in Vauxhall at noon about the impact of a good start in the first powerplay.

Soumya scored a blistering 42 off 29 balls in the first match of their World Cup campaign against the South Africans to give the side a solid start before the team went on to score 330 runs—the highest team total in all ODIs for Bangladesh. As a result, the explosive batsman feels that the team must not lose early wickets in the match against the Kiwis if a good score is to be put up on the board.

"It will certainly have a big impact. If we do not lose a wicket in the first ten overs, it will really help us. Their strength is to swing the ball in the first ten balls. They take early wickets. If the wicket assists the batsmen, it will create pressure on them." said Soumya.

"We may not bat the same way as we did against South Africa. I think the simple fact is the type of wicket would be different. We played on a used wicket against them, while we will play on a new wicket against New Zealand. Their bowlers have swing with pace, which we have to tackle together. We have to play according to the merit of the ball. If there's swing, we have to play out the first few overs." added the batsman.

Earlier on February, Bangladesh played a series to forget against the Kiwis in New Zealand. The Tigers were whitewashed in the three match ODI series 3-0 and lost the test series 2-0 with the third test being abandoned due to the Christchurch shooting which the Tigers nearly escaped. However, the 26-year-old batsman was not intimidated by the previous results and was determined to do better this time around.

"We played in their home conditions recently, but we are in a neutral venue at the end of the day. There's always pressure in a big tournament. They would be under more pressure if they are considered the favorites. We know each other well. We cannot underestimate ourselves, regardless of who we are playing against. We have to mentally strong." concluded Soumya.