Photo: Firoz Ahmed
As Soumya Sarkar whacked one of his trademark lofted drives down the ground during Bangladesh’s practice session yesterday, spin coach Rangana Herath and a few others scattered to get out of the way.
It was a bit surprising to see the left-hander train in the national team’s white-ball set-up considering he has been out of sight for a while. But perhaps he is not yet out of Chandika Hathurusingha’s mind.
Soumya’s recent form perhaps does not merit a comeback, but oftentimes, and more so in the context of Bangladesh cricket, ability shown on the international stage can leave an impact that can change a player’s fortune.
Soumya was included in the squad for the upcoming Emerging Teams Asia Cup along with a few other stars from the national set-up. Reading between the lines, the idea is likely to see their performances during the tournament in Sri Lanka. Along with Soumya, Mosaddek Hossain and Mahedi Hasan too trained with the national team yesterday.
So close to the ODI World Cup, Soumya’s presence in the nets and the Tigers’ search for an option at number seven, even in the capacity of a backup, does allude to an opportunity being presented to the left-hander.
The 30-year-old is being cued for a middle-order role at the upcoming Emerging Teams Asia Cup, a source close to the team has claimed. Ahead of the World Cup, there could be a chance to stake a claim as per the team’s requirements.
Following a spicy periscope shot from Soumya, Hathurusingha, paying close attention, called him in for a discussion. It was these kinds of shots which made Soumya’s name in international cricket during his previous forays.
“He didn’t work on anything specific, but he was batting with Hathurusingha as per the schedule,” a team management source said.
The head coach had said before the Ireland series in May that if Soumya “starts scoring, he will have a chance like everyone else in Bangladesh”.
Soumya also bowled in the nets, with one particular delivery managing to even beat Tamim Iqbal all ends up. Mehedi Hasan Miraz was asked following the practice session how Hathurusingha was bolstering the confidence of Soumya and other contenders for the number seven slot.
Miraz identified that clarity of instructions and freedom of the players were the basics. “He always gives freedom to all the players. He especially tells those in the dressing room to play their natural game. If someone makes a mistake, then he tells us that maybe this or that particular aspect could be done in another way. But he doesn’t tell them a lot of things because he is giving freedom. That’s why the players are never confused,” he said.
The tonic of confidence worked on Soumya before and it could be another masterstroke from the Sri Lankan if Soumya can produce performances and stake a claim following a bad patch.
