Who are the seniors in Bangladesh cricket?
Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar suffered a blow on the same hand which he had injured during the tour of West Indies while training in the national team's ongoing camp ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.
It was the first time the southpaw had undergone a batting session, and having been picked for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the Tigers’ think tank will be closely monitoring how his condition develops.
If you are a left-handed top-order Bangladesh batter, you would not like the sight of Afghanistan’s left-handed pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi steaming in at you with the new ball.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday named a host of players for 'A' team's tour of Pakistan to play Pakistan A in two four-day matches and three one-day matches. Two separate squads were announced for the two four-day matches and another squad for the one-day matches on August 23, 25 and 27 respectively.
“I always dream big. I dream of becoming champions. It’s my personal thinking, I like to dream big,” Soumya said in a video posted on social media by the BCB today.
More than a year into his contract, Hathurusingha got to see both sides of the coin. In 2023, Bangladesh whitewashed defending champions England, and Afghanistan won a series against Ireland at home and claimed their maiden T20I win over New Zealand in the BlackCaps’ backyard. But less than a year since enjoying their best ever run in the shortest format, the Tigers spiralled down to their lowest point, displaying a severe lack of continuity.
A show of ‘Power’ had been missing in ‘Powerplays’ for Bangladesh in the past editions of the T20 World Cups, as batters have more often than not failed to make use of the field restrictions in the first six overs -- a handicap that has hindered the team’s fortunes in the competition.
The scepticism and queries over the team’s preparation were not at all surprising, considering how poorly the Tigers have fared in the last two T20 World Cups -- only winning over low-ranked Netherlands and Zimbabwe in 2022 while suffering a humiliating loss to Scotland the year before in the previous edition.
The win in Nelson gives New Zealand an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after their 44-run win in the first game on Sunday. The third and final ODI will be played in Napier on Saturday.
Soumya Sarkar's career-best 169 helped Bangladesh post 291 all out in 49.5 overs in their second ODI against New Zealand at Saxton Oval in Nelson today.
Soumya Sarkar's record-breaking ton went in vain as New Zealand won the second ODI by seven wickets
"Bangladesh teams for the last 15 years were used to having Shakib. We are finding it hard to make a combination [without him]."
Following a 44-run defeat (via DLS) in a rain-curtailed first ODI, Bangladesh will be eyeing to come up with a different approach and must look to form a well-balanced playing eleven in order to save the series when they take on New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Wednesday.
“Soumya’s role will be very important,” Shanto told reporters in Dunedin today, a day before the first ODI in Dunedin.
“The thought process behind picking him is his experience of playing in such conditions along with his all-round abilities,” Bashar said.
Soumya scored 91 off the 103 runs his team scored on the day as Khulna managed to put up 225 in their second innings before running out of wickets, setting up a 147-run target for Barishal.
Bangladesh are slated to play New Zealand at home right after the ongoing World Cup but despite some of the national prospects managed to get some runs in the ongoing National Cricket League (NCL), more is expected.
It will be interesting to see whether the criteria of the team-selection would eventually boil down to personal preferences, team combination or the need of experience. The selectors are thus in for an anxious ride in prioritising their agendas
