When is the right time for a cricketer to secure a place in the playing XI?
This question has been lingering for some time, especially after Soumya Sarkar failed to make the cut against Pakistan in the three-match ODI series at home.
Soumya had scored a match-winning 91 against West Indies in the final game of Bangladesh's previous home ODI series before hosting Pakistan, and he appeared to be in good form, if nothing else.
Ahead of the New Zealand series, Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons stressed that Soumya needs to @L0$ if he wants to earn a spot. On Thursday, Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan added that the experienced opener remains firmly in the team's plans, even as competition intensifies ahead of the New Zealand ODIs, with Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hasan currently the first-choice opening pair.
Left-handed opener Tanzid enjoyed a productive Pakistan series in February, playing a quickfire 67 to help chase down a modest target in the opening match. He followed that up with his maiden ODI century, scoring 107 in the third and final game to seal the series for Bangladesh.
Saif, on the other hand, endured a difficult series against Pakistan, managing scores of 4, 12 and 36 in his three outings. However, the right-hander showed promising signs in an intra-squad practice match, where he struck an unbeaten 138 off 133 balls.
"Look, as you mentioned, it's very important for a batsman to be in form and to get enough opportunities. If you look at the last series we played, the opening partnership crossed 100, which was a big advantage for our team," said Mehidy.
"If early wickets fall, it creates a lot of pressure for the team. Sometimes we only count big scores, but even 10, 20 or 25 runs can be very impactful. These are things we have to consider as well," he added.
However, Mehidy insisted that Soumya should not be disheartened, expressing his belief that everyone will get a fair chance. He also emphasized the importance of keeping Soumya in the squad so he does not feel left out.
"As you mentioned, there are players in the team who go through phases of form-some who have potential and have been successful but may not always be in form. There have been times when such players were dropped," said Mehidy.
"But as a captain, I will try to ensure they don't feel left out. Instead, they continue to train with the team and have the facilities to improve, so they can return more confidently. This is something I will always try to maintain," he added.
Whether Soumya gets a chance in the series against New Zealand remains to be seen, but he did not look out of sorts during the intra-squad game, scoring 55 off 85 balls.
