10 Facts about Soumya Sarkar: Bangladesh’s dashing left-hander

Soumya Sarkar likes to stand up tall and take a long stride to the spinners while uses his hand-eye coordination to great effect against the faster bowlers. The top-order batsman, who usually opens the innings for Bangladesh, has a bit of glamour to his batting. In November 2013, he was called up to the Bangladesh Twenty20 squad but he didn’t play the one-off game against New Zealand. He continued to be monitored, and when Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh’s new coach who took charge in May 2014, had a look at him, Soumya was back in contention and has risen through the ranks ever since.

1. Birth:

Soumya Sarkar was born on 25^th February 1993 in Sathikra, Bangladesh. He was admitted to the BKSP in Savar, the country’s biggest sports institute. He quickly joined the cricket team and was part of BKSP’s league campaigns from the 2008-09 season.

2. Early Impressions:

He played one game in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, and two years later was an integral member of the side in Australia. In between, he struck a double hundred in a one-day game against Qatar in Kuala Lumpur. At the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, he made headlines by ‘Mankading’ the Aussie Jimmy Peirson.

3. First-Class Debut:

He made his First-Class debut for Khulna Division against Dhaka Division in the 2010-11 season. He made 24 and 7 in the two innings of this match which ended in a draw. His List A debut was against Chittagong Division in a rain-affected match. He made a run-a-ball 12 in a winning cause for his team. He also plays for Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan in the Bangladesh Domestic League.

4. ODI Debut:

He was handed an ODI debut against Zimbabwe in December 2014 and made 20 off 18 balls. He was selected for World Cup 2015 based on that solitary international outing. On the day of the announcement, as the coach and captain, Mortaza, discussed the squad with the selectors in the board president’s room at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, down on the ground Sarkar made a sparkling 97 for his club in the Dhaka Premier League.

5. 2015 World Cup:

Sarkar’s 25-ball 28 in Canberra breathed life into a poor start by Bangladesh against Afghanistan in a match which was won by the Tigers. His 40 and 51 against England and New Zealand respectively were more meaningful contributions. His team beat England and qualified for the quarterfinals while gave the Kiwis a tough fight.

6. Home series:

After the World Cup, Sarkar played Pakistan at home and was frustrated by two low scores before he went past that mark in the third ODI. He belted the bowling for an unbeaten 127 producing some spectacular drives. The series saw Pakistan being white-washed by Bangladesh for the first time in ODI history. His two half-centuries against the South Africans in the following series, 88* and 90 helped Bangladesh win the series 2-1.

7. ODI Stats:

The newcomer has had a great start to his international career, especially in the ODIs where he has scored 692 runs at an average of 49.42. The brilliant 127* against Pakistan is his highest score in this format.

8. Test Stats:

Sarkar rode out a tough final session on the fifth day with Shakib as Bangladesh drew the first Test against Pakistan in Khulna. He has played 3 Tests scoring 107 runs at an average of 21.40 and a top score of 37. With the kind of talent, he posses one can expect this record to improve considerably.

9. T20I Stats:

Sarkar has played 8 T20Is scoring 141 runs at an average of 17.62 and a strike rate of 130.55. His top score is 43 against Zimbabwe in Khulna. This was a match which the home side won by 42 runs on 17^th January 2016.

10. Bowling:

Sarkar is an all-rounder who bowls medium-pace. His seam bowling has been termed as more than useful by many coaches in the country’s age group and domestic scene. His medium-pace has given him a lot of attention too, particularly his ability to use the new ball despite the lack of pace. He has 1 Test wicket to go with with 19 First-class and 16 List A wickets.