Sarkar eases some worry lines with solid show

Soumya Sarkar made good his opportunity at the top of the order © Getty

Since the end of the 2015 World Cup, Bangladesh have had a problem with the opening position. Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Anamul Haque are among those who have opened for the team in at least five matches, with Bangladesh hoping to find the right person to forge a strong partnership with Tamim Iqbal. However, the options that they tried didn't yield the kind of results they were hoping for.

Among the names mentioned above, Imrul Kayes is the only opener other than Tamim to average more than 50 in the aforementioned period. However, with the selectors deciding to leave him out of the World Cup squad, Bangladesh were left with Sarkar and Liton - both talented but inconsistent - as the options to partner Tamim for the mega event, with the tri-series in Ireland giving them the chance to audition for the role.

Sarkar grabbed the first available opportunity with both hands as he batted in a confident manner in a 144-run opening stand with Tamim to set up Bangladesh's eight-wicket win over West Indies. While the scoreline would suggest a comfortable win for the Asian team, things weren't easy out in the middle for the batsman, with Sarkar watching his partner struggle during the initial phase of the chase of 262.

But Sarkar himself was fluent, making up for Tamim's sedate outing with a strike rate in excess of 100. In the partnership, which was Bangladesh highest opening stand outside Asia, Tamim scored 60 off 86 deliveries while Sarkar scored at a quicker rate, managing 73 off 68.

"At one point we thought we would have to chase 300 runs. Later we caught the pace of the game. We limited them at 260 runs," Sarkar told reporters in Dublin after the game. "After that our target was to bat simple, the wicket was not easy to bat on. Playing shots was difficult. The back of the length balls were easy to play but full length balls were tough," he reasoned.

"Our plan was to build a partnership as that would help us get hold of the game and that's what happened in the end. There was no pressure. He [Tamim] told me 'play your normal game, at one point match will be on our hand'. I also told him that 'your game is okay. If one over goes well you will be able to cover off the runs'. We were telling ourselves that we won't push for anything," said Sarkar about the conversations he had with Tamim.

After being blanked 3-0 by New Zealand earlier this year, Bangladesh managed their first ODI win of 2019, which Sarkar believes will give the team plenty of confidence in the build-up for the World Cup. "Of course, a victory always makes everyone confident. We are all confident now. We are not thinking about (the conditions), we are trying to move forward by giving everything we have," concluded Sarkar.