Soumya Sarkar shatters host of records with 169 against NZ
Bangladesh all-rounder Soumya Sarkar shattered a host of records en route to a blistering hundred against New Zealand in the second ODI in Nelson. The southpaw showcased remarkable character and ended up scoring 169 off 151 balls, a knock laced with 22 boundaries and two maximums. This is the second-highest individual ODI score by a Bangladesh batter. Here are his stats.
A brilliant knock from Sarkar
Batting first, the visitors were off to a poor start with three of their top-four batters getting dismissed in single-digit scores. Sarkar, who opened the innings, steadied the ship with a 91-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim (45). He shifted gears even further toward the end and scored runs for fun. Sarkar was dismissed in the final over as Bangladesh finished at 291/10.
Second-highest individual score by a Bangladesh batter
As mentioned, Sarkar's 169 is now the second-highest individual ODI score by a Bangladesh batter. He is only behind Litton Das, who smoked 176 against Zimbabwe in the 2020 Sylhet ODI. Tamim Iqbal (158 and 154) is the only other Bangladesh batter to breach the 150-run mark in the format.
Third-highest score by a visiting batter in NZ
Meanwhile, Sarkar's 169 is also the third-highest ODI score by a visiting batter on NZ soil. He is only behind Australia's Matthew Hayden (181* versus NZ, 2007) and Scotland's Calum MacLeod (175 versus Canada, 2014). Meanwhile, Sarkar became the fourth Bangladesh batter to smoke an ODI ton on NZ soil. He has joined Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, and Imrul Kayes.
A look at his stats
Sarkar, who made his ODI debut in December 2014, has been in and out of the team due to inconsistent performances. While this was his third ODI ton, the tally also includes 11 fifties. Playing his 65th ODI, he has raced to 1,937 runs at 33.40. The tally includes a strike rate of 98.18. He has also scalped 11 wickets with his medium-pace bowling.
