More like Soumya

The Tigers enjoyed an off day yesterday with no scheduled training activities, and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's men were in a chilled out mood as a perfect win against Ireland in their third match in the tri-series gave them some relief.

Bangladesh will get three more days before playing their last match in the tri-series against New Zealand; a match where the Tigers will definitely try to carry on the momentum they have gained from the last match against Ireland.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza also said that they were looking forward to the match against New Zealand which will take place on May 24. Any good result against New Zealand in the last match will be huge boost for Mashrafe's men ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy; where they will start their campaign against England on June 1.

"We're looking forward to it [the New Zealand match], we had a chance in the last match [against New Zealand in the second game] but didn't go through with it, but if we play as well as we did against Ireland there is a chance to win the game," said Mashrafe.

There was a reason for the ODI skipper to be satisfied with his team's effort in the last match as they gave their opponents no chances throughout the match and showed a truly professional approach, stamping their authority as a much better side than their associate member opponents.

Much has already been written about Mustafizur Rahman's spell which provided signs that the left-armer was returning to his old form, but the batting performance of Soumya Sarker also deserves some special credit.

It was not because that the tall left-hander made yet another half century; rather it was the way he stayed in the middle until the end of the innings that provided an encouraging sign.

There have hardly been any doubts about his ability, but the questions were there about his premature demise as he often failed to carry his bat after making a fifty. He made 61, the highest score for his side, against New Zealand, but was dismissed within 25 overs which hindered his side's possibility of putting up a challenging total on the board.

In the last match he batted 28 overs and was not out, showing the kind of benefit his team can get from the batsman if he stays at the crease. It will be a nightmare for any team if the elegant left-hander can carry his bat for more than 30 overs.

Selector Habibul Bashar also believes that.

"A good-looking fifty cannot be the answer from any top order batsman. When we would want to beat the top sides, especially when we are going to play against teams like England, Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, someone from top order must play a big knock," said Bashar.

"In that context, Soumya's unbeaten 87-run knock was encouraging and it was not because he scored more than 80; rather the fact that he could finish the match. If a batsman like Soumya can stay at the crease for a long while, it will be a big boost for the Bangladesh batting order. I was also happy as he hit one of his sixes over mid-on and he played through the cover rather than only through midwicket," Bashar concluded.