Have seen Soumya Sarkar at his best on TV long time ago: Bangladesh assistant coach Nick Pothas

Bangladesh cricket team is gearing up for their white-ball series against Afghanistan which kick starts from July 5 in Dhaka. The 3-match ODI series will be followed by two T20Is in Sylhet.

Soumya Sarkar, the 30-year-old out of favour Bangladesh batter has been asked by Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha to join the preparatory camp ahead of the series.

Assistant coach Nick Pothas has explained the move and revealed that Sarkar is being kept in the mix of things and prepared to replace players under any circumstances at his absolute best.

The former South Africa international further added that he cannot make an opinion on Soumya Sarkar's batting form, saying that he has seen the southpaw at his peak on TV "a long time ago". He added that the Satkhira-born cricketer was under "observation phase at the moment".

"I think again it's been a case of giving people opportunity. We don't want people to feel like they're outside of the group. And it also gives us options. If somebody gets injured, we don't want to be pulling people out of thin air from somewhere where we haven't seen them and also giving them the best opportunity to train, to practice, to be ready, if there is an opportunity at some point. So we want to try and be as inclusive as possible. And the head coach has a very clear plan,” Pothas told the reporters.

"I am not sure (how Soumya is batting) because I have only seen him at his best on TV a long time ago. For us now, it is an observation period. We want him to relax and play because we know he is very good. But I have only seen him three times in the net under no pressure.

“And that's not enough time to have an opinion of him. So, I have to take time and observe him. He has obviously batted at the top of the order before. But this is a conversation with the head coach we have not had yet. At the moment, it is really the beginning of the observation phase," Pothas added.

Soumya Sarkar last played for Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. He played his last ODI match in March 2021. Sarkar last played a Test match in February 2021.