After hitting a brilliant 151 balls for 169 runs in the loss, Tigers batsman Soumya Sarker’s word of the day was “positivity,” despite Bangladesh’s disappointing seven-wicket loss to New Zealand in Nelson on Wednesday. Sarker claimed he used this mentality to remain composed during turbulent times as a cricket player.
In 2009, Soumya broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 163 not out to become the highest individual score by an Asian batter in New Zealand. However, despite this remarkable feat, Bangladesh’s miserable record in One Day Internationals (ODIs) has continued, as they have now lost all 18 of their previous 50-over matches against the Black Caps.
Soumya breaks Sachin’s record with a ton of
The 30-year-old scored a ton in his third ODI, his first in over five years. But because of a terrible run of form, the left-handed hitter has only made seven appearances for the Tigers in ODIs over the past few years. Even then, his appearances have been sporadic.
After having a forgettable afternoon with the ball in hand and being bowled for a duck in the opening ODI of the series, Soumya became the target of intense criticism on social media.
In response to a question regarding harsh criticism and trolling on social media, Soumya stated he adopted an optimistic outlook to ensure that he was always focused on the task at hand and that he avoided it all.
“Those (trolls and memes) are something I used to see. To be honest, I don’t get any news on my phone these days. I break up with buddies if they start talking about cricket with me. “I stick with the person who speaks positively,” Soumya informed the media on Wednesday.
There will be good times and terrible times, but as a cricket player, I can’t just give up the game if I’m not doing well. It’s cricket that has helped me get this far. He said, “I am putting a lot of effort into my work for cricket and it occupies my thoughts.