Soumya: 'There should have been a much bigger celebration after series win'

Bangladesh batter Soumya Sarkar says he expected more celebrations after Bangladesh completed their maiden ODI series against Australia. The home side took the series when they won the second match by five wickets on Thursday. having already thumped Australia by 86 runs in the first ODI.

Bangladesh team reportedly didn't celebrate much after the match, apart from the usual team song in the dressing room. Over the years. the celebrations have toned down from the days when Bangladesh winning meant rejoicing in many parts of the country.

"This series win is such a big achievement. for which I think there should have been a much bigger celebration," Soumya said. "I don't know how much we have done but it should have been better. If we can make it 3-0, it will certainly be huge,. even winning the series should have been celebrated better. We are focused on making it 3-0 by playing positive cricket in all three departments."

Soumya had a major say in Bangladesh's winning push in the second game. scoring 42 off 47 balls in a chase of 192 in 41 overs. It was a counterattacking knock after Tanzid Hasan fell for a duck. as he added 86 runs for the second wicket with Najmul Hossain Shanto.

"When Tanzid got out. we kept in mind that a big team will always try to get on top of you if you are bogged down. They were trying hard to get wickets, so Shanto and I decided to play normal attacking cricket. We didn't want to be dominated at that instance.

"If we thought that the target wasn't huge. we could take our time, we would have handed them the advantage. They used their main bowlers for four- or five-over spells. They were hunting for wickets. Shanto and I planned not to give wickets to their main bowlers, but always be on the lookout for boundaries. We just planned to pick up runs by staying positive."

Soumya got out after mistiming a reverse sweep against part-timer Matt Renshaw in the 16th over. The shot went as far as Xavier Bartlett at slip,. Soumya said that he would play the shot regardless of whether he had reached a milestone or not.

"If I reached my half-century, my shot wouldn't come into the discussion. But I thought the shot was on; I had success playing it in the past. I wasn't successful this time. I would play the shot whenever I feel it is necessary."

Soumya praised the Bangladesh fast bowlers for becoming match-winners in recent years. "I think we have one of the best pace attacks in the world currently. I think the opposition will think about our pace attack if they put out a fast bouncy wicket against us. The pace bowlers are giving us a very good time. Spin used to help our winning ratio in the past; now it's the fast bowlers playing match-winning roles.

"We should really take care of these fast bowlers so that they can play for Bangladesh for a long time. They should become role models for the next batch of fast bowlers in the country. We want a healthy competition in every department, so that we can take advantage of their momentum."

Soumya said that the tables have turned now as their opponents now have to keep an eye on their bowlers, especially with Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman. Nahid Rana performing regularly. "There used to be a time when we as Bangladesh batters had to choose between opposition bowlers. whom to attack, whom not to attack. Now the opposition are thinking about our bowlers in the same way. They are now getting dismissed due to the pressure. It is such a good feeling. After Taskin and Mustafiz, we have Rana coming as first change.

"When Rana is not getting enough wickets, Mustafiz or Taskin step up. Shoriful also bowled well in the last series. He hasn't played [against Australia] due to the combination. I think it is exciting for the future."