It was an eventful start to the fifth round of National Cricket League matches across different venues on Saturday. Soumya Sarkar notched up his career-best first-class score, domestic veteran Marshall Ayub etched his name into the 10,000-run club, and Shuvagata Hom matched Shakib Al Hasan in rare feat.  

In Chattogram, Soumya Sarkar backed up his first-innings 92 with 71 off 90 balls, while Shak Mahedi Hasan's unbeaten 50 off 49 guided Khulna Division to a two-wicket win over Chattogram.

Barishal captain Tanvir Islam claimed a five-wicket haul, while Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Naim both fell short of centuries as Day 2 of the third round of the National Cricket League saw evenly-poised contests across venues on Sunday.

Soumya Sarkar has a flair that sets him apart from most Bangladeshi batters -- something he showcased in the recent ODI series against the West Indies, where he struck a blistering 91 in the third ODI on a difficult Mirpur wicket. The 32-year-old spoke to The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi about his career, maintaining belief through ups and downs, his approach to batting, and his evolving role in the team. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

You’ve probably seen that image: an elephant, a fish, and a monkey all told to climb a tree. It’s often used to show how the education system unfairly judges everyone by the same test, leaving some to shine and others to feel inadequate. The image makes its point perfectly. But its lesson shouldn’t stop at the classroom door.

A sense of disbelief was palpable at the press box at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur after Bangladesh openers Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan unleashed a batting carnage against the West Indies in the series-deciding third ODI yesterday.

Regular skipper Litton Das has returned to lead Bangladesh as the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday announced a 15-member squad for the opening two T20 Internationals against West Indies.

Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan put on a show in the opening partnership in Bangladesh’s third ODI against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

Three members of the coaching staff – assistant coach Joya Chakma, goalkeeping coach Imon, and team manager Mirona Khatun – were unable to travel with the squad due to visa complications.

Bangladesh star Soumya Sarkar's participation in the series against Afghanistan is in doubt as he faces UAE visa complications.

Soumya Sarkar was named in the Bangladesh T20I squad to face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series in UAE next week, the left-handed batter’s first inclusion in the shortest format since December last year.

Amid this challenging phase, with a new ODI captain in Mehidy Hasan Miraz set to lead the side in the upcoming Sri Lanka series starting June 2, the pressure to rebuild and restore confidence is more immense than ever.

Bangladesh named a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, slated to begin from July 2, and Mohammad Naim Sheikh’s return was the major development from the squad announcement, as Soumya Sarkar was excluded owing to injury.

Soumya had been experiencing right-sided lower back pain over the past week. 

Bangladesh are slated to play 16 T20Is against the UAE, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. An additional six matches against the West Indies and Ireland will follow. With a packed T20 calendar and Shanto’s declining performances in the format, his inclusion in the squad becomes increasingly difficult to justify.

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Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar suffered a blow on the same hand which he had injured during the tour of West Indies while training in the national team's ongoing camp ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.

It was the first time the southpaw had undergone a batting session, and having been picked for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the Tigers’ think tank will be closely monitoring how his condition develops.

If you are a left-handed top-order Bangladesh batter, you would not like the sight of Afghanistan’s left-handed pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi steaming in at you with the new ball.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday named a host of players for 'A' team's tour of Pakistan to play Pakistan A in two four-day matches and three one-day matches. Two separate squads were announced for the two four-day matches and another squad for the one-day matches on August 23, 25 and 27 respectively.