New Zealand comfortably chased down Bangladesh's challenging total of 291 to win the second BAN vs NZ ODI by seven wickets and clinch the three-match series with one match remaining. The victory was fueled by composed half-centuries from Henry Nicholls (95) and Will Young (89). Soumya Sarkar was the undisputed star for Bangladesh, smashing a career-best 169 – the highest ODI score by any Asian batter on New Zealand soil. However, his heroics were not enough to compensate for the lack of support from the rest of the batting lineup. Apart from Soumya and a fighting 45 from Mushfiqur Rahim, the middle order collapsed, leaving Bangladesh's total short of a truly threatening one. William O'Rourke and Jacob Duffy, with three wickets each, were the standout bowlers for New Zealand, effectively restricting Bangladesh's late flourish. From duck to diamond: Soumya reborn with brilliant 169 vs New Zealand In response, the Kiwis' chase was a clinical affair. Nicholls and Young laid the foundation with a commanding century partnership, taking the pressure off the middle and lower order. The wicket, admittedly offering little assistance to the bowlers, further aided their dominance. Bangladesh's bowling lacked penetration on a traditionally batter-friendly surface. Debutant leg-spinner Riashad Hossain failed to pick up a wicket. Hasan Mahmud was the best Bangladeshi bowler in this match with two scalps, but his expensive spell, 57 runs in 7 overs, reflected the overall struggles of the Bangladeshi attack. Chennai Super Kings secure Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2024 The final match of the BAN vs NZ ODI series will be played on December 23, followed by a three-match T20I series commencing on December 27. Both Bangladesh and New Zealand will be looking to end the tour on a high note in the remaining matches. Bangladesh aim to bounce back in 2nd ODI vs New Zealand

After a prolonged period of struggles, Soumya Sarkar roared back to life with a dazzling century against New Zealand. In the second BAN vs NZ ODI in Nelson, Soumya blazed 169 runs off 151 balls, peppering his innings with 22 fours and two sixes. This knock marked a monumental turnaround for the left-hander who last reached a half-century in 2019. The following years saw him sidelined from the ODI team in 2020, failing to impress in his limited opportunities in 2021, and dropped again in 2022. His return under head coach Chandika Hathurusingha began with two consecutive ducks in 2023, raising questions about his selection. However, Hathurusingha remained committed to Soumya, and the faith paid off spectacularly. Bangladesh aim to bounce back in 2nd ODI vs New Zealand The opener unleashed his fury on the Kiwis, dispatching deliveries to all corners of the ground. In doing so, he not only stood tall amidst Asian batters on New Zealand soil but also etched his name in record books. His 169 surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's 163 not out in Christchurch in 2009, claiming the mantle of the highest ODI score by an Asian batter in New Zealand. This was Soumya’s third ODI century, adding to his previous accomplishments in 2015 and 2018. Fueled by his career-best knock, Bangladesh piled up a formidable total of 291 all out in the second ODI against New Zealand. Bangladesh lost the first match. If the Tigers can defend this total on Wednesday (December 20, 2023), the last match will turn into a final of this series. Triumphant U-19 boys eager to keep shining

Bangladesh lost two wickets off two consecutive deliveries of Shadab Khan in the 11th over, and Pakistan pushed the Tigers into trouble. Soumya Sarkar's wicket and Shakib Al Hasan's golden duck have put Bangladesh in trouble against Pakistan in their last Super 12 Round fixture in the T20 World Cup 2022. Read More: India vs Zimbabwe T20 world Cup Live Streaming: Where and How to watch live, Playing XI Soumya Sarkar tried to play a reverse but was caught. Right after him, Shakib Al Hasan was given the LBW. TV replays showed the ball touching Shakib's bat before hitting his pads, and the bat was close to the ground as well. The umpire eventually gave the decision in favour of Pakistan. Shakib left the field with utter disbelief after getting out of a golden duck. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan earlier decided to bat first after winning the toss. But the Tigers lost Litton Das early, in the innings' third over by Shaheen Afridi. Litton tried to keep down the short ball by Afridi, but only holed out to Shan Masood. At the end of the 12th over, Bangladesh scored 78 for 3. Najmul Hossain, Shanto, and Afif Hossain are at the crease at the moment. Bangladesh made three changes to their playing XI: Soumya Sarkar, Nasum Ahmed, and Ebadot Hossain are in place of Yasir Ali, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam. Bangladesh (Playing XI): Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan(w), Mosaddek Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi The winner of the Bangladesh vs Pakistan match will move on to the last four since earlier, South Africa blew their opportunity against the Netherlands. Read More: T20 World Cup: Despite losing Liton early, Bangladesh off to a good start vs Pakistan Soumya and Shakib's wickets have put the Bangladesh team under huge pressure against Pakistan in this important T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 Round match. Now, the rest of the batters have to perform with more responsibility in order to put up a challenging total on the board to defend.

After having mixed fortune in the first two matches against the Netherlands and South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2022, Bangladesh are aiming to make a comeback when they take on Zimbabwe tomorrow at The Gabba in Brisbane. The Bangladesh team has already reached Brisbane and is gearing up to take on Zimbabwe, fresh from a one-run win against Pakistan. Read: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand T20 world Cup Live Streaming: Where and How to watch, Playing XI Ahead of Sunday’s clash, Sridharan Sriram, the technical consultant for the Tigers, said Bangladesh need a second win in the T20 World Cup now as that will help them gain confidence in the matches against Pakistan and India. In the first match, Bangladesh won, riding on the wonderful pace-bowling of Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud. But in the second, Bangladesh suffered in every department of the game and endured a defeat by a margin of 104 runs. That big defeat cast the old cloud over Bangladesh’s capacity in T20Is. But Sridharan said they are not thinking much about what has already happened. “Whether you win massively, lose massively, the next day it’s gone. You wake up, train, travel and play. So nothing changes from our side,” he said today, ahead of the Zimbabwe match. Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Current scenario of Super 12s points table Opening the batting was among the main concerns for Bangladesh ahead of the tournament. But Sridharan said he is happy with what Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar are doing so far. Sriram also stated that he is no longer concerned about the opening stand. “We are building a side and the confidence of the boys, they know where they stand in world cricket and where they want to go,” he said. “We already have the base of a good team. If we can add a few more skillsets, I think we can build a very good T20 side for the future.” Bangladesh have three matches left in the Super 12 Round of the T20 World Cup 2022 and they need to make a strong comeback against Zimbabwe on Sunday in order to stay firm in the tournament. Read: T20 World Cup: Australia-England match also washed out due to rain

There was a strong chance of a few adjustments in the final Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2022 squad when the selectors made the announcement last month. As expected, Soumya Sarkar and Shoriful Islam have been included in the team in place of Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin. Let’s have a look at how strong the Tigers' twenty20 setup is for the main event. Why has the BCB included Soumya and Shoriful in the World Cup squad? All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin and hard-hitter Sabbir Rahman were excluded from the Bangladesh squad to make way for opener Soumya Sarkar and pacer Shoriful Islam.In light of Saifuddin and Sabbir's recent series performances, is dropping them justified? There are no noteworthy performances that support any of the players. Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Where to watch live in Bangladesh via TV, OTT, and apps Saifuddin has the lowest economy rate (10.51) in the last two international series in the UAE and New Zealand. Sabbir Rahman, on the other hand, has the lowest strike rate (86.66) among batters. Therefore, leaving them out of the final squad was the right move. What about Soumya Sarkar and Shoriful Islam? Do they deserve to be in the squad? Soumya played only two matches and scored 27 runs with a strike rate of 128.57, while Shoriful Islam picked up five wickets in four innings with an economy rate of 8.45 in the most recent two Twenty20 International series. Clearly, the latter has a more solid reason and has proved that he is among the best pacers in Bangladesh at the moment. Soumya’s case is a bit different. The selectors always wanted a left-handed batter in the lineup. But Soumya’s constant failure on the international stage had forced the think tanks to keep him among the standby players. Someone from the initial main squad had to play badly to make way for Soumya. Unfortunately, that cricketer was Sabbir Rahman, who once again failed to impress the selectors with the bat. But why was Soumya picked despite showing virtually nothing in the two matches he played in the tri-nation series? One valid reason is his track record on fast, bouncy pitches. Soumya’s bat usually shines when playing on hard pitches. His 153.98 strike rate in T20Is on New Zealand wickets is the best among the Bangladesh players. He is the second-most run scorer (174) in the Twenty20 format among the Bangladesh players in New Zealand. It’s not unknown that Australian conditions will be quite similar to New Zealand's. Read: ICC T20 World Cup begins Sunday The selectors' expectation of Soumya is that he will show his true potential in the top-order during the T20 World Cup 2022. Can Soumya fulfill the expectations? That will soon be revealed, but no one can deny the fact that the BCB has a clear reason to pick him up for the squad. Bangladesh’s twenty20 World Cup 2022 squad at a glance Apart from making two chances, the rest of the squad remains the same for Bangladesh. The Tigers have five genuine batters, four all-rounders, and six bowlers in the squad. Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Bangladesh team during the World Cup and wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan Sohan will act as his deputy. The most in-form batter is Litton Das, who has 180 runs in the past 6 innings with a strike rate of 140.62. Afif Hossain is in second position with 159 runs in 6 innings, followed by Shakib Al Hasan with 154 runs in 3 innings with a magnificent strike rate of 150.98. Among the bowlers, pacer Shoriful Islam bagged the most wickets with five in the last two international series. Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, and Ebadot Hossain all had decent outings in the previous two series with satisfactory economy rates. Bangladesh will play their first Super 12 match against the runner-up of Group A on October 24. Three days later, on October 27, they will face South Africa. Bangladesh’s third match will be against the Group B winner on October 30. After that, the Tigers will take on India on November 2 and finish their group stage fixtures with a match against Pakistan on November 6. Read: Bangladesh add Soumya, Shoriful to T20 World Cup squad Bangladesh's 15-man Twenty20 World Cup 2022 squad Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam Way Forward Despite Bangladesh's lackluster recent T20 international record, the selectors made an effort to assemble the strongest team for the T20 World Cup 2022. Captain Shakib Al Hasan has to work on boosting the players' confidence so they can give it their all on the field. Bangladesh can have a decent success if the players are able to meet the expectations during the tournament. Read: T20 World Cup 2022: What's the best possible line-up for Bangladesh?

Left-handed Soumya Sarkar hit a ton for Walton Central Zone on Sunday as the third round of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) began on Sunday in Chattogram. Mohammad Ashraful, the former Bangladesh captain, scored a fifty for Islami Bank East Zone 0 the same day in Rajshahi. Riding on 70 of Ashraful, East Zone posted 166 all out in the first innings against BCB North Zone in Rajshahi. Also read: Jamie Siddons to rejoin BCB after a decade Apart from Ashraful, Afif Hossain did well with the bat scoring 37 while the other batters failed to impress. Shafiul Islam of North Zone bagged five wickets while Sunzamul Islam took three and Mohammad Sharifullah took two. At the end of day one, North Zone posted 71 without losing any wicket in 28 overs, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Junaid Siddique remaining unbeaten for 35 and 30 respectively. Also read: Nayeem takes six to stun Central Zone in BCL In the other match, Soumya hit a century for Central Zone against BCB South Zone. At the end of day one, Central Zone scored 293 for four with Soumy and Shuvagata Hom remaining unbeaten for 128 and 62 respectively. For South Zone, Nasum Ahmed and leg-spinner Rishad Ahmed bagged two wickets each.

Walton Central Zone are eying a win in the first round of the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) against BCB North Zone at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.  Soumya Sarkar, the left-handed batter, hit an unbeaten 104 for Central Zone. And before him, Mohammad Mithun and Mizanur Rahman also smashed a century each.  Read:Mithun, Mizan shine in BCL with centuries With these centuries, Central Zone  declared their first innings at 563 for three  At the end of day three on Tuesday, North Zone are trailing by 172 runs with five wickets in hand with Marshall Ayub and Mahidul Islam Ankon unbeaten on 28 and 0 respectively.  In the first innings of the match, North Zone scored 219 all out.  On the fourth and last day of the match, Central Zone need only five wickets to seal the game. Hasan Murad, the left-arm spinner, bagged three wickets while Robiul Haque and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury scalped one wicket each.  In the other match of the first round of BCL, BCB South Zone took a commanding position at Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi.  At the end of day three, East Zone are leading only by 26 runs with five wickets in hand— they are batting at 195 for five.  East Zone need to bat as long as possible to avoid a defeat in this match.  Read:Babar hopes to carry momentum against virus-hit West Indies In the first innings of this match, East Zone posted 260 all out, and in reply, South Zone posted 429 all out, and in their second innings, East Zone scored 195 for five so far with Afif Hossain Dhrubo remaining not-out for 73.  For South Zone, Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan bagged two wickets each while Nahidul Islam took one. In the first innings, both Nasum and Mahedi scalped five wickets each. 

Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar has made big strides of nine places to take the 34th position in the latest ICC rankings for T20 international batsmen. The southpaw hit two fifties in the three-match T20 series and had an average of 42. While Soumya rose to 34th place from 43rd, Bangladesh T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad and left-hand opener Mohammad Naim slipped a few spots. Read: Soumya hit fifty but Tigers lose T20Is series against Kiwis Mahmudullah went down three places from 33 while Naim dropped to 32 from 29. At the end of the Zimbabwe series, Shakib Al Hasan occupies the number one bowler position of Bangladesh after being placed at 21 in the T20 bowler rankings. Also, he remains number two in the T20 all-rounders' rankings. Bangladesh won the three-match T20 series 2-1 against Zimbabwe. Read: Soumya, Abu Jayed help Tigers get back control The Tigers' next assignment is against Australia who are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka later this week. Australia will play a five-match T20 series against Bangladesh. The first match will take place on August 3, while other matches will be played on August 4, 6, 7 and 9. All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh left-handed top-order batsman Soumya Sarkar has said that he is not bothered much about what has happened in the New Zealand tour earlier this year, he rather is looking forward to winning the home series against Sri Lanka later in May. Bangladesh national team is currently gearing up for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from May 23. Soumya missed the two-match Test series against the same opponent which was played recently.  “We have been working hard to forget what we have done in New Zealand. We are looking forward to doing well in the home series against Sri Lanka,” Soumya told the reporters on Wednesday. “Every series is important for us. We are hopeful of keeping the title of the home series at the home and we will come up with a good brand of cricket,” he added. Bangladesh played the last ODI series in New Zealand. The hosts won the series 3-0. Bangladesh failed to pose any strong challenge in that series. During that contest, Bangladesh missed the service of the ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan who was on leave. But he is set to join the team in this home series.  “It’s a big thing that we will get the service of Shakib back,” Soumya added. “And we will also have the service of Mustafizur (Rahman) who was playing well in IPL. They are set to make a comeback together. I hope they will complete the series well.” The Tigers played a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2019 in Sri Lanka which the hosts won 3-0. Soumya believes if Bangladesh can play according to their ability, the series would be an exciting one.  “When we take the field we eye to win. In this series, we will go match by match. At first, we have to win the opening game, then we will try to win the second one,” Soumya added. Soumya played 61 ODIs till the date but failed to cement his place in the national team. He scored 1768 runs in an average of 32.14 with two centuries and 11 fifties. He also bagged 11 wickets with the best of 3 for 56.

Bangladesh lost the three-match T20I series to New Zealand (3-0) after losing the third match by a massive 65-run margin at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday (April 1). Three senior players of the team Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, and Mushfiqur Rahim didn't take part in the series for separate reasons. Team tigers had struggled against the Blackcaps because of their absence but the rest of the players should have done better during the contest. There was high hope from the young players but we had seen nothing remarkable from them. Here is the performance report card of Bangladeshi players.  Bangladeshplayers’performance breakdown against New Zealand T20I series 2021 Batting/Top orders Bangladesh only had one half-century in the series. As per these stats, the batting performance of the Bangladesh team in the contest was disappointing. Soumya Sarkar The left-handed batsman Soumya Sarkar scored Bangladesh's only half-century in the series. Hitting 3 sixes, Soumya played a lethal innings of 51 runs from 27 balls in the second match in Napier. But he failed to score big in the rest of the two matches. In three matches, Soumya Sarkar scored 66 runs at a strike rate of 178.37. Mohammad Naim Prospective opener Mohammad Naim scored the highest 84 runs with a strike rate of 127.27 for Bangladesh in this series. Naim was unable to prolong his innings despite having a great start in each match. His best 38 runs in the series came in the second match. Soumya and Naim put on an 81-run partnership for the second wicket in that match. Mohammad Naim would need to develop the mindset of playing big innings if he wants to secure his place in the Bangladesh team. Read Key ODI Records between Bangladesh and New Zealand Liton Das Liton Das, who led Bangladesh in the third match, failed with the bat throughout the tour. He only scored 10 runs at a strike rate of 90 in the T20 series. Liton has yet to master the art of batting technique on New Zealand's bouncy wicket despite having played in the international arena for 6-7 years. Liton will have to show more consistency in the future if he wants to prolong his international career. Najmul Hossain Shanto Injured Mahmudullah Riyad was replaced by Najmul Hossain Shanto in the third match. But the left-arm batsman could not take advantage, he only scored 8 runs in that match. Nazmul continues to struggle despite getting multiple chances. Someone else will take his place in the national team if he does not demonstrate his talent properly. So, Shanto will have to show more promise if he gets another chance in the national team set up.  Read: Pro Kabaddi Tournament Could Rejuvenate Bangladesh’s National Sport Batting/Middle-Order Mahmudullah Riyad Mahmudullah Riyadh is the only Bangladeshi senior player who took part in the series. Though he could not play the last match due to injury. Like other Bangladeshi batsmen, he also failed miserably in this series. Bangladesh's T20 captain only scored 32 runs in the first two matches. He scored his personal best 21 runs in the second match of the series. Mohammad Mithun Mohammad Mithun was completely lackluster in the T20 series despite batting well in the ODI series. Bangladesh team management expected good performance from him. The selectors were frustrated with his performance. Mithun only managed to score 5 runs in two matches. Read How to Become a Cricketer in Bangladesh: An Overall Guideline Afif Hossain The promising young batsman Afif Hossain scored the third-highest 55 runs in the series for Bangladesh. In which, 45 runs from 33 balls came from the first match. Afif had a strike rate of 126.90 in the series. The left-handed Afif Hossain is becoming an important player in Bangladesh's T20 format setup. Mosaddek Hossain, MahediHasan, and Mohammad Saifuddin Among other batsmen, Mosaddek Hossain scored 13 runs in one match, Mahadi Hasan 12 runs in three matches, and Mohammad Saifuddin 36 runs in two matches. Saifuddin played an effective innings of 34 runs in the first match. Read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand 2021: Tamim-led team shows promise in 2nd ODI Bowling/Pace Bangladeshi bowlers were unable to stop New Zealand batsmen from scoring runs in all three matches. The bowlers had given up a lot of runs during the series. As a result, Bangladesh had no notable performances in this series. Taskin Ahmed In this series, Taskin Ahmed was the most effective Bangladeshi fast bowler. In two matches, he picked up the most two wickets. However, with an economic rate of 12.51, he was the most expensive bowler in the series. If Taskin is to reclaim his place in the Bangladesh team, he must become more productive. Shoriful Islam Young left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam snatched two wickets in the series. However, he was less expensive than Taskin. His economy rate in the series was 9.66. Everyone expects Shoriful will be a regular member of the future Bangladesh national side pace attack. Mohammad Saifuddin Mohammad Saifuddin has yet to fully regain his rhythm since recovering from his injury. Saifuddin took part in two matches in the T20 series and snatched only 1 wicket. However, with an economy rate of 11.14, he gave up 78 runs in 7 overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain Bangladesh's two best fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain failed to pick up any wickets in the series. They each played one match. Furthermore, they gave away a lot of runs. Read Mashrafe Mortaza drops a bombshell over his alleged T20 retirement in 2017 Bowling/Spin MahediHasan Spinner MahediHasan was the most successful Bangladeshi bowler in this series. He took the highest 4 wickets in 3 matches. However, the opposition batters picked up a lot of runs from his ball. His bowling economy in this series was 11.60. Nasum Ahmed Among the Bangladeshi bowlers, newcomer Nasum Ahmed was the least expensive. He took a total of 2 wickets in 3 matches at a 6.40 economy rate. Nasum was able to grab the attention of the selectors straight away. Read How Can Bangladesh directly qualify for the world cup 2023? Fielding While fielding, Bangladesh had given up too many runs. They dropped catches and showed poor performance on the field.In a nutshell, Bangladeshi players lacked the motivation to put extra effort on the field. Bottom Line As per the report card of Bangladeshi players, none of the cricketers had significant improvement in the series. They should have performed better as a team in this contest to boost their confidence for the future. Bangladesh team has a strong chance of performing well in the next T20 world cup in India. As a result, the selectors should focus on building a strong T20 squad for the tournament.  Read Mustafiz's Rajasthan vs Shakib's Kolkata: Which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021?