Bangladesh coach hints at axing Soumya Sarkar

Team Bangladesh is currently touring New Zealand for a long away series. With a plethora of cricket coming their way, the team surely wants all the players on tour to perform. Batsman Soumya Sarkar has come under the scanner following poor batting performance in the recent times. Team Head Coach Chandrika Hathurusingha in a recent quote cleared that the batsman will have to prove his mettle. In case, Sarkar fails to deliver in the matches to come, he will have to sit back and warm the bench in the games to follow.

In case, Sarkar fails to deliver in the matches to come, he will have to sit back and warm the bench in the games to follow. The coach, in a bold statement, said the same ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand at the Saxton Oval. The 23-year-old left-handed batsman played the Christchurch ODI and managed to score just 1. However, he had looked slightly better in the warm-up match where he scored 40. Soumya Sarkar’s poor run was evident in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League as well.

He had a string of low scores 3, 8, 26, 1, 1, 17, 5 in his last seven innings for the Rangpur Riders. Certainly, the 20-ODI veteran needs to pull up his socks to maintain his place in the lineup. In a quote ahead of the second ODI, the Bangladesh team head coach Chandrika Hathurusingha affirmed the same.

He quoted, “Anyone not scoring runs has a limited life span isn’t it? He is eating into his time. If he doesn’t score, we have to look for someone [else].” With the statement, it is clear the team management has lost faith in the batsman.

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Sarkar needs to up his performances to not only stay in the team but also get back in the good books of the team management. It is unlikely to say whether he will get a look in for the second ODI or not. While some feel that the match might well be the do or die for the batsman, others feel that he might well be replaced in the lineup. New Zealand lead the 3-match ODI series 1-0.