Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar hit his career-best ODI score of 169 off just 151 deliveries to help Bangladesh post 291 all out in 49.5 overs, breaking legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's 14-year-old record during the second ODI match against New Zealand in Nelson on Wednesday. The effort from the 30-year-old is the highest score by a Bangladesh men's player away from home in an ODI, and the highest in ODIs by a player from the sub-continent in New Zealand, passing Sachin Tendulkar's 163* against the Kiwis in Christchurch in 2009.The left-hander's innings is now the second-best by a Bangladeshi in ODIs after Liton Das' 176 against Zimbabwe.
Soumya Sarkar (169 runs from 151 balls) was the lone standout batter among his teammates as no other players could cross the 50-run mark in the first inning. Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (45 runs from 57 balls) played a pivotal role in the middle order and helped the 'Bengal Tigers' put 291 on the scoreboard. New Zealand were emphatic in their response, chasing down the target of 292 with seven wickets in hand and with 22 balls to spare. Will Young (89 from 94 balls) and Henry Nicholls (95 from 99 balls) led the way for the hosts, with Rachin Ravindra (45 from 33 balls) contributing to the top-order effort. Tom Latham (34* from 32) and Tom Blundell (24* from 20) closed out the chase in the 47th over. Speaking about Sarkar, he is the onlt batsman to hit 2 sixes in the first over in a T20 World Cup match and the second highest individual run-scorer for Bangladesh in an ODI innings. Sarkar plays for the Cumilla Warriors in the Bangladesh Premier League, Khulna Division in the National Cricket League, and Prime Bank Cricket Club in the Dhaka Premier Division.
