A brilliant all-round performance of Soumya Sarkar propelled Bangladesh A team to a six-wicket win in the second one-day match over their Zimbabwean counterparts helping the side to level the three-match series 1-1 at Fatullah on Tuesday. All-rounder Soumya claimed 2-23 and struck 86 off 83 balls as Bangladesh knocked off a revised target of 158 runs in the rain-hit match with more than 15 overs to spare.
Zimbabwe A, who won the first match by 17 runs, opted to bat first on winning the toss but could amass only 160-9 thanks to some controlled bowling by the local bowlers with Elias Sunny and Zubair Hossain also grabbing two wickets each.
Skipper Vusimuzi Sibanda scored 74 off 97 balls, his second fifty in as many matches, but no other batsman could provide any support from other side.
Soumya, who bowls right-handed but bats with the left, ensured Bangladesh A team suffered similar hiccup with his fluent innings which included 12 fours and one six.
He shared 80 runs with Liton Kumar, who scored 29 replacing Shahriar Nafees in the side.
When Tafadzwa Kamungoz induced edge off Soumya’s bat for wicketkeeper Joylord Gumbie to complete a catch Bangladesh A needed just 22 runs to complete the win.
Rain stopped their innings, with the side left stranded on 156-4 and they took just three balls to coast home on resumption.
For Zimbabwe A team, Wellington Masakadza was the pick of the bowlers with 2-18 while leg-break bowler Tafadzwa finished with 2-52.
The third and final one-day match of the series is set to be held today at the same venue.
-With New Age input
