Soumya surpasses Sachin with record breaking ton

Soumya Sarkar hit his career-best ODI score of 169 off just 151 deliveries to help Bangladesh post 291 all out in 49.5 overs — the highest ODI total for the Tigers against New Zealand in their backyard — in their second of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand at Saxton Oval today.

Soumya also reached a significant milestone along the way as his 169 is now the highest individual score by an Asian in New Zealand. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s previous best of 163 not out against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2009.

Soumya’s exhilarating knock that featured 22 boundaries and two maximums ended in the final over of the innings when he gave a catch to extra cover while trying to hit a William O’Rourke delivery for a boundary. The left-hander’s innings is now the second-best by a Bangladeshi in ODIs after Liton Das’ 176 against Zimbabwe.

It was also Soumya’s third ODI ton.

Just after getting to the long-awaited three-figure mark off 116 deliveries, Soumya upped the ante, giving Bangladesh the much-needed boost in run-rate late in the innings.

The next over after getting to his hundred, Soumya hit Adam Milne for consecutive boundaries — one a drive over mid off and the other over mid-wicket on a short delivery — in the 41st over. His best shot of the innings came in the following over of Milne when the left-handed batter charged down the ground to smack a short delivery over mid-wicket for a 90-meter six.

With a flurry of boundaries, Soumya moved to 150 from 100 off just 28 deliveries.

Soumya had starred in stands of 91, 61, and 40 for the fifth, sixth, and seventh wickets with Mushfiqur Rahim (45 off 57), Mehedi Hasan Miraz (19 off 26), and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (13 off 11) to help Bangladesh recover from a precarious 44 for three.