Bangladesh vs Australia, 3rd ODI: Soumya Sarkar Says Series Win Deserved a Bigger Celebration

Bangladesh’s dressing room stayed relatively subdued after their latest victory, with only the usual team song marking the moment, but opener Soumya Sarkar said the achievement deserved a far bigger celebration. Bangladesh have become more reserved over time, he noted, compared with earlier years when a win would spark excitement across the country. Even so, he described the series triumph as a major accomplishment and said the team remains focused on completing a 3-0 whitewash with positive cricket in all three departments.

Soumya played a key role in Bangladesh’s second-game win, scoring 42 off 47 balls during a chase of 192 completed in 41 overs. His innings helped stabilize the pursuit after Tanzid Hasan was dismissed for a duck. Soumya and Najmul Hossain Shanto then added 86 runs for the second wicket, shifting the pressure back onto the opposition.

Explaining the approach, Soumya said Bangladesh knew a strong team would try to dominate once an early wicket fell, so he and Shanto decided not to get bogged down. Instead of becoming defensive, they opted for steady attacking cricket and looked for boundaries whenever possible. He said taking too much time would have handed the opposition control, especially since their main bowlers were operating in short, high-intensity spells in search of wickets. The plan, he added, was to stay positive, avoid losing wickets to the frontline attack, and keep the scoreboard moving through smart run accumulation.

Soumya was dismissed in the 16th over after mistiming a reverse sweep against part-time bowler Matt Renshaw. The shot traveled to Xavier Bartlett at slip. Reflecting on the dismissal, Soumya said he would still have played the same stroke regardless of whether he had already reached a personal milestone, arguing that the shot felt on at the time and had worked for him before, even if it did not succeed on this occasion.

He also praised Bangladesh’s fast bowlers, saying pace has become a major source of match-winning performances for the team. In his view, Bangladesh now possess one of the best pace attacks in the world, and opponents must think carefully before preparing fast, bouncy pitches against them. Soumya said pace, rather than spin, is increasingly driving Bangladesh’s success and has changed the way teams approach matches against them.

Soumya urged the team management to protect and support the fast bowlers so they can serve Bangladesh for a long time and inspire the next generation. He said healthy competition across all departments would help the team sustain its momentum.

According to Soumya, the balance of pressure has shifted. In the past, Bangladesh batters had to choose which opposition bowlers to attack and which to respect. Now, he said, rival teams are making similar calculations about Bangladesh’s bowling attack. He highlighted the consistent form of Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Nahid Rana, along with useful contributions from Shoriful Islam, as signs of an exciting future for Bangladesh cricket.