Confused Soumya fails yet again
Soumya Sarkar was seen as one of the brightest prospects in Bangladesh cricket when he made his international debut in 2014, but over the years his consistency at the highest level has been a matter of concern.
When on song, Soumya is a treat for spectators and pundits alike because of the extra time he seems to have to play the ball, his timing and the classical left-hander's elegance in the shots he plays.
But the lack of consistency has been disappointing. Despite getting enough opportunities over six years, the 27-year-old has so far failed to make the most of them and become a bonafide regular in the national team.
The ongoing BCB President's Cup tri-series is a platform for cricketers to return to the groove after a long gap of seven months. The selectors had previously stated that more than performance, they will focus on the attitude and approach from cricketers and from that perspective, it has been a disappointing tournament for Soumya.
In the four games that he opened the innings for Najmul XI, including yesterday's match against Tamim XI, the left-hander has managed scores of 21, 9, 8 and 7.
It was not just his lack of runs, but more importantly his batting approach looked unusual and confused -- the manner of his dismissal in all four games have raised concerns over his mindset.
In the first game against Mahmudullah XI Soumya did all the hard work to get set at the crease at the start of a small chase of 197 runs but just when the batsman needed to play his natural game the left-hander went for a push to an away going delivery from pacer Ebadot Hossain and gave a simple catch to point.
Perhaps the most unusual knock from Soumya was in the second match against Tamim XI where the 27-year-old, in chase of a modest target of 222, looked uncomfortable right from the start.
Soumya was largely unable to rotate the strike while facing 47 deliveries before being trapped leg-before by an incoming Mohammad Saifuddin delivery, about which the left-hander seemed to have no clue whatsoever. Making it worse for his side, his dismissal put extra pressure on the following batsmen.
His lack of foot movement has been the biggest concern which cost him his wicket in the third game when he was late to react to a Rubel Hossain delivery after scoring just nine runs.
The left-hander repeated the mistake once again yesterday as he was caught at the crease as he went fishing for a wide, away-going delivery from Saifuddin and only managed to edge it to the keeper.
Every batsman goes through lean patches but what he does during those periods to rectify mistakes and think through problems makes all the difference. Soumya is no stranger to lean patches, and perhaps the most concerning aspect is that after six years at the top he is still unable to navigate them with any certainty.
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