DHAKA, March 6, 2019 (BSS) – Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes was
pleased with the way Soumya Sarkar thrived against short-pitched deliveries
of New Zealand bowlers, saying that he paid off the trust the team management
put on him.
Sarkar was basically called up as a back-up of Shakib Al Hasan who missed
out the ODI series and first Test against New Zealand because of his left
little finger injury, sustained during the final of the Bangladesh Premier
League (BPL) on February 8.
The ace all-rounder was also ruled out of the second Test, starting on
March 8 at Wellington as the doctors prescribed him for a seven days rest
more, revealed BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon a couple of days ago.
There was apprehension whether Soumya could fill the void of Shakib but
he responded quite emphatically, smashing a fluent 149 runs knock. The knock
many ways was termed as the coming-of-age knock from the batsman who
struggled to cement his place in the national fold.
It was also his maiden century in the longer version format and in the
process he emulated Tamim Iqbal, joining him as fastest centurion of
Bangladesh with 94 ball-century. Tamim’s effort against England at Lord’s in
2010.
Rhodes pleased with the way Soumya responded as his service is now much-
required specially after some of the important players of Bangladesh remained
injured and highly unlikely to be the part of the final XI in the second
Test.
There was however few who could expect that Soumya could thrive against
vicious short-pitched deliveries but he not only shrugged off this
apprehension with an epic century but also was the pick of Bangladeshi
bowler, claiming 2-68 with his medium pace.
“What was pleasing in the last game was to see Soumya coming and doing so
well because in many ways he was a back-up batsman along with Liton of
course,” Rhodes said on Wednesday at Wellington.