Photo: CollectedDHAKA, March 16, 2026 (BSS)-Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz hasexplained the team management's decision to leave Soumya Sarkar out of therecent ODI series against Pakistan, despite the batter's strong performancein the previous series against West Indies. Bangladesh therefore opted to open with Saif Hasan alongside the in-formTanzid Hasan Tamim. Although Saif Hasan scored just 4 and 12 in the first two matches, the teammanagement chose to persist with him rather than bring Soumya back. Saif'sconfidence might have deterred, and if Soumya had failed as well, it couldhave been difficult for him too," Miraz explained. Following the 2-1 ODI series victory against Pakistan, Bangladesh areexpected to move up to 9th place from 10th in the ICC ODI rankings.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 16, 2026 16:30 UTC