Sarkar refuses to pin loss on Nurul's dropped catch

Bangladesh batter Soumya Sarkar said on Tuesday that winning the Super Over against West Indies in the second ODI would have eased a lot of pressure on the hosts. Bangladesh now face the series decider at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Thursday after the visitors bounced back with a dramatic win in the second match.

Sarkar refused to blame anyone for the loss, though Bangladesh could have sealed it if wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan had taken the catch off the final ball. That miss allowed the visitors to tie the game and force a Super Over - Bangladesh's first in international cricket.

"The match was actually a new experience for us today, the Super Over. Yes, it's true there were many turning points and there were two catches that might have been a turning point," Sarkar said.

"It's nothing like that (Nurul's dropped catch cost us the match) as a catch alone doesn't cost anything. But yes, if it had been taken, it was a tough catch, and if he'd caught it, we might have won. But yes, it was difficult, and he tried well," he said.

Sarkar confirmed that it was the captain and coach's call not to send Rishad Hossain in the Super Over - a move that surprised many, given the 23-year-old legspinner had starred with quick cameos of 30 off 13 and 39 off 14 in the two ODIs.

"The coach and captain planned that. They thought about sending the main batter at that time," Sarkar said.

"Actually, we all didn't think about this (who will go to bat), as the coach and captain thought about it. We didn't know Akeal Hosein would bowl. If two left-handers had gone in, and then an off-spinner came on, we would be in trouble. That's why there was a lefty and a righty. You'll see the same with their team; they also batted with a lefty and a righty," he said.

Sarkar admitted his own struggle in the Super Over. "You could say that it was a failure for me. There was a left-arm spinner, and I was confident I could get a boundary there. But yes, it's also true that the wicket wasn't easy for hitting a six or a boundary. The ball was also old, after 50 overs, and not coming onto the bat well. So, for a big hit, the wicket needs to help, but the ball was slow and there was a lot of turn," he said.

Returning to the national side, Sarkar said he's still settling in after making a comeback. "Whenever someone comes back after a long time, it feels a bit new and takes time to adjust. There's also mental pressure. But as a player, when you get a chance, you have to play - that's our job. I try to prove myself whenever I get an opportunity, because if I don't, I'll be out of the team again," he said.

Sarkar also admitted that batting wasn't easy on the Mirpur wicket. "It's always challenging for all batsmen here. You need more focus, because it's not easy to score singles or boundaries. You need to be highly concentrated to find the loose ball to hit, and also how to develop your skill to score runs off the good balls. So, yes, you could say it requires a lot of skill and mental toughness to play on this kind of wicket," he said.

"It's very difficult to play strokes on this wicket. You've seen that not many singles were easily scored, and very few boundaries were hit in the overs," he concluded.