During Wednesday’s second ODI match against New Zealand in Nelson, Soumya Sarkar, the opener for Bangladesh, broke the record held by the renowned cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, which was 14 years old. Soumya scored 169 runs at a strike rate of 111.92 off 151 balls. In the first inning, the left-handed batter destroyed the Kiwi bowling attack with 22 fours and 2 sixes. With his knock against New Zealand, the 30-year-old surpassed Tendulkar’s record for the most runs by a player from the subcontinent in ODIs in New Zealand. The ‘Master Blaster’ defeated the Kiwis in Christchurch in 2009 with an undefeated 163-run knock.
In the ODI format, he also scored the most runs by any cricketer from Bangladesh on an away ground.
At Saxton Oval, New Zealand chose to field first after winning the toss prior to the game. Among his teammates, Soumya Sarkar (169 runs from 151 balls) was the only player who stood out, as none of the other players were able to score more than 50 runs in the opening frame. In the middle order, wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (45 runs from 57 balls) was crucial in helping the ‘Bengal Tigers’ post 291 points.
Conversely, Kiwi bowlers William ORourke and Jacob Duffy spearheaded the attack, each taking three wickets in their respective spells. Aside from them, Adithya Ashok, Josh Clarkson, and Adam Milne each claimed one wicket. To win the second game of the three-match ODI series, New Zealand needs to make 292 runs in 50 overs during the run chase.
