Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar has broken legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s 14-year-old record during the second ODI match against New Zealand in Nelson on Wednesday.
Soumya scored 169 runs with a strike rate of 111.92 from 151 balls. In the first inning, the left-handed hitter destroyed the Kiwi bowling assault with 22 fours and two sixes.
With his performance against New Zealand, the 30-year-old surpassed Tendulkar’s record for the most runs by a player from the subcontinent in ODIs in New Zealand. The ‘Master Blaster’ defeated the Kiwis in Christchurch in 2009 with an undefeated 163-run knock.
In the ODI format, he also scored the most runs by any cricketer from Bangladesh on an away ground.
At the Saxton Oval, New Zealand chose to field first after winning the toss in the game.
Among his teammates, Soumya Sarkar (169 runs from 151 balls) was the only player who stood out, since no other player was able to score more than 50 runs in the first inning. In the middle order, wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (45 runs from 57 balls) was crucial in helping the ‘Bengal Tigers’ achieve 291 points.
Conversely, Kiwi bowlers William O’Rourke and Jacob Duffy spearheaded the attack, each taking three wickets in their respective periods. Other than them, Adithya Ashok, Josh Clarkson, and Adam Milne each claimed one wicket.