'Never wanted to remove his pads'
'Never wanted to remove his pads'
Soumya Sarkar may be the newest entrant in Bangladesh's World Cup squad; but there are two aspects of his resume that can outshine a majority of the other cricketers in the current line-up. For one, he has a double century in under-19 cricket. He almost single-handedly annihilated a U-19 Qatar line-up during the Asia Cup in 2012 with his 135-ball 209.
And secondly, he is one of the few players in the squad to have played in Australia. Soumya, alongside Anamul Haque and Taskin Ahmed, was a member of the under-19 team that participated in the World Cup there back in 2012.
While his performance in the tournament was ordinary, the fact that he is in Bangladesh's best 15 two years on, speaks volumes about his determination.
There is a sense of delight watching Soumya bat at the top of the order. Maybe that's because of the fact that he follows a textbook style of batting with his right foot almost perennially reaching the pitch of the ball. Most of Bangladesh's batsmen tend to depend upon their natural flair. Tamim Iqbal has his hand-eye coordination; Mominul Haque identifies the length of the ball quite quickly; while Shakib Al Hasan depends a lot on aggression.
While it's still early days for the 21-year-old, Soumya seems to be inclined more towards Mushfiqur Rahim's school of batting. And that's the reason why his 20 off 18 deliveries against Zimbabwe, although a short innings, was entertaining to watch.
The manner in which he got to the pitch of the deliveries and drove three of his four boundaries on the off-side, two of which were off bouncers, got quite a few spectators excited. While nervousness got the better of him on his ODI debut, he proved his class in the last Dhaka Premier League.
He was the fourth highest run-getter of the competition with 615. The final match of the meet, a must-win encounter for his side Prime Bank Cricket Club, saw him score a reassuring 97 to lead them home.
Prime Bank coach Khaled Mahmud described him as an exciting prospect for the country's future.
"The one thing that I always stress on as a coach is constantly telling my players to complete their training schedules. For Soumya though, that is never required. He never wanted to remove his pads. He just wanted to go on and on.
"He works hard and is a knowledgeable player as well. He also has good footwork. His first assignment will no doubt be a challenge, but I am sure he will be able to handle the pressure," opined Mahmud.
Soumya, who got out to a short ball in his first ever ODI, expects many more such deliveries in Australia and New Zealand and he is gearing up for that.
"I have begun practising against the short ball. The only way I can be comfortable over there is if I practise. I have been playing with tennis balls and plastic balls that bounce a lot, so that I can adjust," Soumya said following his practice session at Mirpur yesterday.
Described as a utility player by the team management, one who can bowl pace and bat at any position, Soumya's inclusion in the squad surprised the player himself. He told reporters that he didn't think he would make the team after playing just one ODI.
With none of the experienced back-up openers in form, the selectors took a gamble. While a similar move paid off for Faruque Ahmed and company back in 2007, only time will tell if a similar result is in store.