|| CF Correspondent ||

Bangladesh’s batsman Soumya Sarkar said that he is ready to bat down the order if that serves the purpose of the Tigers' ODI set-up.

For Soumya to get back his place at the top of the order in the ODIs – a format where he last appeared in South Africa during their tour of 2017 – is surely a difficult proposition as Liton Kumar Das is most likely to open the batting with Tamim Iqbal after the disastrous performance of Anamul Haque, more so after Liton managed to showcase his talent in the shorter format in the Caribbean.

But all is not lost for the graceful left-handed batsman as he can still make a cut in the ODI squad for the upcoming Asia Cup tournament to fill a different role altogether, as according to BCB sources, team management is also considering him to fill the lower middle-order spot in ODIs, though the squad is yet to be finalized.

The form of Sabbir Rahman at the lower-middle order in the recent past suggests that his place is not guaranteed while new-kid on the block Ariful Haque is yet to make his debut in ODIs, despite getting chance in couple of T20Is.

On the other hand, Soumya who was ignored for lack of form, does make his case strong with his solid batting with the Bangladesh A team during the just concluded Ireland tour.

Soumya looks to have gained enough confidence from the tour of Ireland and it reflected as he reacted in a positive note when asked whether he is willing to accept the new challenge or not.

Bangladesh team began their preparation for the Asia Cup on August 27 and they are largely focusing on fitness and fielding at present while they are expected to begin their skill training.

“What matters the most is if I can help the team win regardless of my batting position,” Soumya told reporters at Mirpur,

“Doesn’t matter if I am opening or batting at seven, my job is to perform well and if I can perform, the team will also get some support.

“If I have to play there, then I will try to play according to the situation,”he added.

The new position of Soumya in the ODIs will certainly demand that he is ready to bowl few overs in the middle so that the team can have more balance which he has offered in T20Is in the recent past.