A rarity among Bangladesh allrounders, top-order batter Soumya Sarkar bowls medium pace rather than spin, and occasionally even takes the new ball.

Like many top-level Bangladesh players, Soumya is an alumnus of the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Dhaka. He played a game in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup and two years later found himself with the national side in Australia, though he also went on to play the following U-19 World Cup.

Soumya's ODI debut came against Zimbabwe in December 2014 and his first Test followed against Pakistan in April the next year, in which he made 33 in each innings. His first Test hundred was 149 against New Zealand in Hamilton; in that innings, he and Mahmudullah put on a 235-run partnership, helping Bangladesh save face after New Zealand racked up 715. In ODIs, Soumya starred with a hundred and three fifties (two of them big) during Bangladesh's golden run in 2015 when they won three series in a row, against Pakistan, India and South Africa. Four years later, his batting was to the fore again - three fifties on the trot - in Bangladesh's title win in a tri-series against West Indies and Ireland in Malahide.