Soumya Sarkar’s return to the Bangladesh ODI and T20I squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour have raised some eyebrows, but selector Habibul Bashar justified his inclusion saying that the 30-year-old is in decent form and his experience will benefit the team against the Kiwis.
The stylish left-hander had failed to make an impact in his comeback in ODIs in September against New Zealand at home right before the World Cup, getting dismissed for a duck in the second ODI.
But Soumya’s recent performance in the National Cricket League (NCL), where he played six matches and scored 436 runs in eleven innings which included four fifties and also picked up 17 wickets, worked in his favour as he is set to return for the Tigers in the white-ball formats once again.
The elegant left-hander has scored three fifties and a hundred in 21 innings against New Zealand across all formats and according to Bashar, Soumya’s experience in New Zealand conditions was one of the biggest reasons behind his inclusion in the squad.
“Soumya’s form is not too poor as he batted well in the first-class competition. It’s not like he batted exceptionally well, but an average of 48 is not that bad even though we expect more from him,” Bashar told the media in Sylhet on Friday.
“The thought process behind picking him is his experience of playing in such conditions along with his all-round abilities,” he added.
The former Bangladesh captain also stated that the absence of seniors like regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad, was also a reason behind Soumya’s call back.
“Look we had to make some forced changes since Mahmudullah and Shakib are not available so we lack experienced cricketers in the team. Touring New Zealand has always been challenging for us, it’s a place where we normally struggle.
“When we form a team we take a few other aspects into consideration, not just the performance… On that note, those who are relatively experienced and performed decently get preference,” he said.
When asked whether Soumya’ inclusion was mainly because of head Chandika Hathurusingha’s insistence, Bashar replied, “I don’t think there should be so much discussion over the coach’s input since when we pick a team it’s after taking everyone’s input. The squad is formed only when everyone agrees. We have our choices and the coach has his. It’s not that a player is picked only because he is liked by someone,” said Bashar.
Bangladesh will take part in three ODIs and three T20Is in New Zealand. The Tigers will begin their tour with the first of the three-match ODI series on December 17 in Dunedin.
