INDUSTRY, Calif. – Austin Novratil, 24, won the AMA Speedway bike 500cc season-opener at Industry Speedway last Wednesday in front of more than 1,300 spectators.

The first of 14 speedway race nights took place on the eighth-mile dirt track in the Grand Arena at the Industry Hills Expo Center.

It kicked off the 16th consecutive season of racing at the popular Los Angeles County venue in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.

The fifth annual Connor Penhall Memorial Cup again opened the Industry season. Novratil, from Huntington Beach, became only the second rider to win the prestigious Penhall Cup. He rode his usual No. 7 Jawa frame with a Marcel Gerhard-designed GTR engine manufactured by Gerhard Engine Co. & Suter Racing Technology in Switzerland.

The Penhall Memorial event honors the memory of speedway racer Connor Penhall. He was killed at age 21 in April of 2012 while working as a sub-contractor for Cal Trans on an I-10 Freeway construction project near the 605 Freeway. The drunk driver who drove through barriers and hit Penhall was an illegal alien from Japan. He was convicted of second degree murder and given a 15-year sentence and confined at Norco State Prison.

Bruce Penhall, 62-year old father of Connor and 1981-82 Speedway World Champion, and his family began the Penhall Memorial Cup to keep the memory of Connor alive. They also hope to spread the message against impaired driving. Bruce, his entire family, and numerous guests were present as usual. Bruce presented the coveted first place award—a specially painted Troy Lee Designs helmet in a see-through plastic case—to Novratil during post-race ceremonies in the infield.

Top three riders in the 500cc D-1 and top three 250cc and 150cc junior division riders received their awards and posed on the podium with Penhall. It was the first time the distinctive Penhall Memorial Cup helmet trophy did not go home with nine-time AMA National Speedway Champion and five-time California AMA Speedway Champion Billy Janniro, 38, from northern California.

The Grand Marshal was versatile motorsports champion and 1999 Indianapolis 500 second-place finisher Jeff Ward. The long-time Penhall family friend was a motocross mentor to young Connor at the request of his dad Bruce. Born in Scotland, Ward came to the United States at age 4.

He is a nine-time AMA motocross champion, two-time AMA supercross champion, AMA flat track racer, Indy car driver from 1996-2005, NASCAR Cup driver in 1998, off-road truck racer, X-Games gold medal winner, Red Bull Rally Series and stadium truck racing driver. He is currently racing at age 57 in AMA Flat Track 450cc singles series TT events on a KTM.

Also present was Greg Hancock, a four-time World Speedway Champion. Hancock, 48, is another long-time friend of the Penhall family and Industry Speedway promoter Kelly Inman. Hancock’s son Wilbur, 14, raced in the Junior 250cc division. Greg will not be racing in Europe this year. He will remain in So Cal to support his wife Jennie who is battling a serious illness.

CARMEL, Ind. – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has announced the signing of teenage racer Gray Leadbetter to campaign the Oil2Soil-sponsored DRR ARX2 Rallycross car this year in the nine-race American Rallycross Championship ARX2 Series.

Leadbetter, 14, has already experienced a well-rounded motorsports career which has included two-wheel and four-wheel competition despite her young age. Her racing experience started with a 50cc motorcycle at age three, but since then, Leadbetter has gone on to win back-to-back regional amateur Arenacross championships and an international karting title, as well as compete in UTV off-road racing and Mini-Outlaw sprints.

Trained by 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice, Leadbetter has also recently tested a Dodge Hellcat, Dodge Viper, Formula Mazda, ARX2 Rallycross car, RX2 Rallycross car in Europe as well as a late model at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Leadbetter’s accomplishments also include being the youngest driver in the FlatOut and Dirt Fish Rally events, as well as a participant in the 2018 Winter Subaru driving event in Wisconsin. She was also the recipient of the 2018 Pippa Mann Scholarship that rewarded her with a chance to participate in the Lucas Oil School of Racing.

“Gray’s inner drive to be the best every time she gets behind the wheel can’t be taught,” said Rice, the technical director for the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ARX2 team. “She has the skill of drivers much older and the ability to drive a variety of vehicles competitively. I am looking forward to developing her abilities to be a champion in the next few years and expanding her talent into a long career in four-wheel racing.”

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing earlier announced two ARX2 entries in the 2019 ARX2 Rallycross season with young Cole Keatts in a full-time series ride as well as veteran Indy 500 driver Sage Karam in selected ARX2 competitions.

“We are very excited to add Gray to our ARX2 Rallycross driver lineup in 2019,” said Dennis Reinbold, the veteran team owner of the DRR organization which also includes two Indy 500 entries. “The DRR team recently tested Gray in one of our ARX2 cars and was extremely impressive, especially for her young age. But Gray’s vast racing experience in a variety of motorsports disciplines proves she is much more advanced as a driver for just being 14 years old. We look forward to have Gray develop her racing craft in the Oil2Soil DRR ARX2 car this year.”

“I am thrilled to join the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ARX2 Rallycross team in 2019,” said Leadbetter. “I recently tested the DRR ARX2 car alongside some of my new teammates, and I feel like the car fits my driving style well. It’s gotten me even more excited to compete this season. I’m grateful for the opportunity that Dennis, Buddy and Oil2Soil are providing me, and I’m excited to work with seasoned veterans of the sport. I can’t wait to get to Mid-Ohio for the ARX2 season opener.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race scheduled for June 15 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Conn., has been canceled and will not be replaced.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule will now consist of 12 championship points events.

The next event for the series will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

There is a new driver at the top of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings! Who sits atop our weekly rankings? Click below to find out.

WHEATLAND, Mo. – After an extended break, most of which was unplanned, Lucas Oil Speedway looks to get back to business on the race track this Saturday night.

“Now, if we can just get a little cooperation from Mother Nature,” Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Danny Lorton said of the scheduled Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series event, the first action at the speedway since May 11.

TA/Petro along with KY3 Digital Presents the action, featuring the Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models, Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds, O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Stocks and the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods. The B-Mods will take center stage on with a 25-lap, $750 to win main event – plus a makeup feature to kick off the show, from a May 11 rainout just before the B-Mods hit the track.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:05 p.m.

Since the last action at the speedway, there have been two weather-related cancellations plus a scheduled week off. Included was cancellation of the 27th annual Show-Me 100 after severe weather damaged the facility on May 20.

“We want to thank all our fans and race teams for their patience as we’ve made repairs and cleaned up storm debris,” Lorton said. “It will be good to get back to racing on Saturday night.”

Also back in action is the popular Go-Kart Track behind the main grandstand. It has been closed for improvements since early in the season.

Big Picture

London is a long way from Christchurch, and New Zealand will be meeting Bangladesh for the first time in more than two months. But the shadow of March 15 will still hang heavy, with Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand cut tragically short due to a heinous terror attack. There was grace and empathy shown by both sides that time, and both sets of players will doubtless have warm feelings towards each other, even if born out of tragedy. But this is a World Cup, and sentiment will be left at the boundary when the teams face off in what shapes up to be a crucial match.

That New Zealand have begun this World Cup strongly shouldn't surprise anyone. They fly under the radar at most times, but in spite of that, they've been a remarkably consistent team at World Cups, and a consistent presence in the later stages of the tournament.

That Bangladesh, too, are among the teams in the top half of the table at this early stage will have surprised several people, though it shouldn't. Since the 2015 event, Bangladesh have steadily grown as a one-day force, and they came into this tournament as one of the banana-peel teams. South Africa duly slipped up against them.

But Bangladesh will believe, with justification, that they aren't just here to upset teams, but are serious contenders. The scrum for the four semi-final spots is likely to be a close one, and the team that goes on a run of form will have the advantage over similar contenders. Bangladesh have taken a big step towards being near the front of that line. Another win against an established team and they will hold legitimate hopes.

Bangladesh's two weaker areas of late have been their opening pair and pace bowling. With Soumya Sarkar's recent run of form, they've got one of them covered, while Mustafizur Rahman finding his rhythm again and Mohammad Saifuddin's progress have ensured the second one isn't crippling.

New Zealand will be quietly confident, though, with a win against India in the warm-ups followed by a demolition job against Sri Lanka. Their pace bowling, in particular, looked in fine fettle. Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry looked a fearsome prospect in helpful conditions. If they get that help again, they could have the Bangladesh batsmen hopping.

Traditionally, subcontinental teams have had their share of problems against accurate and hostile short-pitched bowling, so unless the pitch is flat, that could be part of New Zealand's plans. Their batting is helmed by a powerful top order, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson the reassuring figures relied upon to steer the innings.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWL

In the spotlight

Soumya Sarkar hasn't always done justice to his enormous talent. He averages 36.80 in ODIs, but scores at better than a run a ball. The speed of scoring speaks of his ability to find the boundaries and the gaps, but the average says he hasn't always made fast starts count. Since the start of 2018, though, despite a spell out of the team, Soumya has added consistency too. He averages 41.69 and rattles along at a strike-rate of 109.05 - both considerably above his career numbers. He has been a changed batsman since hitting his maiden Test century during the tour of New Zealand at the start of the year. His last four ODIs have brought scores of 73, 54, 66 and 42. Another good score at fast pace, and he will have set the platform for Bangladesh's pedigreed middle order to take charge.

Since the 2015 World Cup, Ross Taylor's ODI average of 68.85 is second only to Virat Kohli's. He has quietly, efficiently and methodically piled on the runs. He made 71 against India in the warm-ups, and by almost any reckoning has been among the top few batsmen in ODIs in the last four years. That he's still not spoken of in the elite category of batsmen says more about perception than his performance. But New Zealand know just how reliable Taylor is. And opposition teams know it too.

Team news

Bangladesh will likely stick with the XI that delivered victory against South Africa. Tamim Iqbal, Mustafizur and Saifuddin all have niggles, though nothing serious enough to prevent them from playing.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman

New Zealand are also likely to stay unchanged. Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls are not yet at 100% fitness, which makes the decision easier.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

In the two matches that have already taken place at The Oval at this World Cup, three innings have gone past 300. This match will take place on a new pitch, though. The weather could also play a part. The forecast is for a mostly cloudy day with some showers. Depending on when those showers arrive, it could force teams to change tactics midway through.

Strategy punt

• Bangladesh have been promoting Shakib Al Hasan up the order in recent times, and it's a move they should stick with. His average at Nos. 3 and 4 is 43.4. From No. 5 to 7, it slips to 33.8. There is no big difference in strike rate, 80 in the upper middle order and 82.3 lower down. The reason for Shakib's improved numbers up the order could lie in his respective records against pace and spin. Since 2016, he has averaged a stunning 60.5 at a strike rate of 96.5 against pace. The corresponding numbers against spin are 28.8 and 73.9 - making it a no-brainer, really, to push him up the order.

• Matt Henry might have got his opportunity partly due to Tim Southee being injured, but now that he's in the XI, New Zealand shouldn't hesitate to throw him the new ball. Henry has been among the most effective, and under-rated, opening bowlers in ODIs. He averages 19.3 in the first ten overs, better than Trent Boult's 24.1. He also has a better bowling average against the top three (24.1) than he does against Nos. 4 to 7 (27.3), or even the tail (25.3) - further arguments for giving him the new ball. Finally, the clincher is Henry's stats against Asian teams versus non-Asian teams - he outperforms on every metric, average (20.7 to 35.9), economy rate (5.0 to 6.4) and strike rate (24.6 to 33.8).

Stats and trivia

• Ross Taylor is set to play his 400th international match. He will be the third New Zealander, behind Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum, to get to the landmark.

• This will be Shakib Al Hasan's 200th ODI.

• Trent Boult needs two wickets to get to 150 in ODIs.

Quotes

"We played in their home conditions recently, but we are in a neutral venue for this game. There's always pressure in a big tournament. They would be under more pressure if they are considered the favourites. We know each other well. We cannot underestimate ourselves, regardless of who we are playing against."
Soumya Sarkar is not fussed if Bangladesh carry the underdog tag

"Last time Bangladesh were in our country, it obviously wasn't ideal. It will be great to see them tomorrow. I'm sure both sides are looking forward to getting out there, and I guess getting back to the cricket field around what we love doing. You know they left pretty quickly, so we didn't get a chance to, I guess, see them, but it will be great to get out on the cricket field tomorrow and do what we love doing."
Tom Latham harks back to the Bangladesh tour that was cut short by a terror attack, and hopes for a good game tomorrow

Big Picture

Seven matches in, India's World Cup is about to begin. They will meet a South Africa side already two bruising games into their own campaign, and already reeling from defeat and injury. Knocked flat by England in the opener, they were left chasing Bangladesh's dust on Sunday. Until Tuesday, no Indian squad member addressed the press while Faf du Plessis has spent more time in pressers than he has in the middle.

It's not that India haven't found ways to fill the hours. Virat Kohli has been to London, to visit the Queen (no news on whether he frightened a little mouse under her chair) while the squad has even kicked back with a game of paintball between training sessions, and Sunday was a rest day.

ALSO READ - Injured Dale Steyn out of World Cup

South Africa, meanwhile, have already had a batsman concussed, a bowler limp off with a tweaked hamstring, twice conceded 300-plus totals and twice failed to chase them down. And now possibly the biggest blow of all: Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the tournament. The India match will be their third in six days, and there has been barely any time for respite, never mind to formulate a Plan B (or C, or D).

"Time to panic," Jonty Rhodes tweeted as Bangladesh motored to their highest-ever ODI total on Sunday. If that was a time to panic then, comrades, now is the time to push the big, red button on this Chernobyl-style meltdown. If you're a South African fan, this might be the time to look away. The numbers in this preview are going to make for gruesome viewing.

South Africa - sans Steyn and Ngidi - will arrive at the Hampshire Bowl, a ground where 734 runs were scored just over three weeks ago ,with the task of taming a batting line-up that is, on reputation, second only to England in its destructive capacities. Virat Kohli is the best one-day batsman of the age, while Rohit Sharma is the only man ever to score three one-day double hundreds. Between them, they have scored more ODI hundreds (63) than the entire South African squad (61).

And then there's Shikhar Dhawan, who carries an average of 64.69 at ICC tournaments into this game. And even if South Africa can get past those three and into the middle order, MS Dhoni - Indian cricket's paterfamilias himself - awaits there.

ALSO READ: Gibson channels spirit of Anthony Joshua as South Africa on the ropes

A strong Indian batting line-up is hardly news, but India are also here with what is arguably their best bowling attack in generations - and possibly their best ever in ODIs. Certainly, India's current bowling attack has been their best between World Cups, going back as far as the 1999 tournament, which was the last one to be held in England. The present attack has picked up eight wickets, on average, per innings: the best for an Indian bowling attack between World Cups. They have also picked up a wicket once every 34 balls, again the best for an Indian bowling unit between World Cups.

They will also be fresh. India will begin their campaign a week after the start of the ICC's pinnacle 50-over tournament following the Lodha Commission's recommendation which requires a 15-day window between the last IPL match and the first international fixture, and which the ICC have agreed to honour.

While India are unburdened by anything other than, perhaps, expectation, South Africa are facing the prospect of having to win five of their next seven games in order to have a chance of progressing to the (historically, dreaded) knockouts. If it seams or swings, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will get them. If it spins, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will. If it's flat, Kohli and co. will bat them out of the game. South Africa have nowhere to hide.

Bangladesh's win at The Oval on Sunday wasn't a shock. In their current state, a South African victory in Southampton would be.

Form guide

South Africa: LLWWW

India: LLLWW

In the spotlight

He bowled the only maiden of the innings as Bangladesh amassed their highest ever ODI total on Sunday, broke through a stubborn. 60-run opening stand, and returned with another vital breakthrough in the 43rd over, with Bangladesh poised, snapping a World Cup record partnership by getting rid of a set Mushfiqur Rahim for 78. Before he leaked leaked 22 runs from his last two overs - albeit in the midst of Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain's 66-run rampage - his figures were 8-1-30-2. Plan A is long gone for South Africa and without Ngidi and Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo's ability to step up, wrest control and win crucial moments with both ball and bat will be key.

KL Rahul has probably leapfrogged into the No. 4 position, having originally been something of a third back-up opener. His century against Bangladesh helped him to push Vijay Shankar aside and stake a claim for the position, and in both warm-ups he has been into the fray relatively early. Whatever his recent struggles in Test cricket might have been, Rahul expresses himself much more freely in limited-overs cricket. He's got stars on either side of him in the batting order, but now he's also got a chance to shine himself.

Team news

Steyn and Ngidi are out, but Hashim Amla did have a net the day before the game, and will play if fit. Beuran Hendricks, Steyn's replacement, will only arrive on the morning of the match, so he's not an option, and South Africa will instead have to decide whether to play two allrounders, two spinners, or an extra batsman. One way of squeezing both Amla and Aiden Markram in could be to play Markram at No. 5 - a position he has recent experience in in domestic franchise cricket.

South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt0, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Aiden Markram, 6 David Miller, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Chris Morris, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

"Kedar Jadhav is back to full fitness," declared Kohli on the eve of the game, and he will likely fit snugly into India's lower-middle order. The other questions for India will be around whether to part the wristspinners or play them together, as well as who the third seamer position will go to. The top order, meanwhile, looks settled, with Rahul the strongest contender for No. 4 with form on his side.

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammed Shami, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The pitch spent most of the day before the game under covers, but it appeared to have had a close shave, with a brown - rather than green - tinge to it afterwards. That probably means that, as usual, this will be a high-scoring game. Indeed, in the last five matches played here, the average first innings total is 311, and the average winning first innings score 336. Including the aforementioned high-scorer between England and Pakistan here, the team setting a total has won three of the last five games at the Hampshire Bowl. There was rain around the day before the game, and while the forecast is a little better on match day, inclement weather could still play a role.

Strategy punts

• Quinton de Kock is clearly very important to South Africa's fortunes with the bat. Eleven of his 14 hundreds have come in wins for South Africa, and four of them have been against India, against whom he averages 96.40 (the only team against which he has achieved a better ODI average is Bangladesh). Aakash Chopra reckons a full length, outside off, could do for de Kock but If he gets away against the seamers, India could look to deploy Chahal early against him: in the 17 balls he has received from Chahal in ODIs, de Kock has been dismissed twice, averaging 5 at a strike rate of just 52.9 head-to-head.

• South Africa might not find much joy against Bumrah or the spinners, but they could well look to go after Bhuvneshwar Kumar - if he plays. In four innings in which he's faced Bhuvneshwar, Markram has struck at 114.6, while du Plessis has really taken him on, with a strike rate of 130.8 and an average of 85 over six innings. Amla has scored a little more slowly at 72.4, but over an extended time of 12 innings, he's averaged 97. De Kock, meanwhile, has scored 144 runs off 140 balls he has faced from Bhuvneshwar in ODIs, and never been dismissed by him.

• India could spin to win. South Africa's batting looks particularly vulnerable to spin. With the exception of du Plessis, who hasn't been dismissed by him yet, none of the other South Africa batsmen average more than 15 against Kuldeep, who has taken a wicket every 18 deliveries against South Africa, his best against any opposition in ODIs. The other half of the Indian spin duo, Chahal has been no less threatening either. Du Plessis has again managed to survive, but India will consider restricting his strike rate to 54.5 as job done. Phehlukwayo is the only other batsman in the South Africa squad who has a decent record against Chahal.

Stats and Trivia

• This will be Jasprit Bumrah's 50th ODI. No bowler has taken more wickets than Bumrah (44) at the death since his ODI debut.

• In his first World Cup as captain, it is worth reflecting on Kohli's journey to this point. In ODIs since 2015 World Cup, no player has scored more runs (4,306) than Kohli. Among players to have played a minimum of 10 innings since 2015 World Cup, Kohli's average of 78.3 is the best. Kohli has also scored 19 hundreds in this time, more than anyone else. He needs one more win to complete 50 in ODIs for India as captain.

• Since 2012, however, India have beaten South Africa five times out of five at ICC events: at the World T20s in 2012 and 2014, at the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophies, and at the World Cup in 2015.

• South Africa have played in four World Cup semi-finals, losing all of them. But in four World Cup matches against India, they have won three times - including in 2011, when India were hosting.

Quotes

"It's a bit of an advantage I would say, in terms of understanding how the games have gone and what the conditions have to offer."
Virat Kohli

"If Dale hadn't gone to the IPL, who knows how it could have been today."
Faf du Plessis ponders what might have been, after his senior bowler was ruled out of the tournament with injury

How Bangladesh began their World Cup opener against South Africa had a lot to do with the result. Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal put together 60 runs for the opening stand and although both fell within 11.4 overs, they had done more than enough to alleviate any nerves in the dressing room about the first match of a major tournament, in front of a big crowd, in foreign conditions and against a strong bowling attack.

Soumya's 30-ball 42 put the pacey South African attack on the back foot and they couldn't recover. However, he believes the same method against a different bowling attack may not work all the time. Particularly against New Zealand, Soumya believes that they would have to keep swing and pace in mind.

In the ODI series in February, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the first ten overs twice in three games. They lost the series 3-0. In the ten matches since 2015, Bangladesh have only gone through two wicketless first Powerplays against New Zealand, winning one of those games. At the Champions Trophy in Cardiff two years ago, Bangladesh lost three early wickets, after which Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah struck centuries in an incredible fourth-wicket partnership.

Soumya said that going wicketless in the first ten overs, a factor that has helped them in their last four consecutive wins, would take them a long way in gaining confidence against New Zealand. He also said The Oval pitch would be a new one for this game, unlike the South Africa game which was played on a used pitch.

"It will certainly have a big impact," Soumya said. "If we do not lose a wicket in the first ten overs, it will really help us. Their strength is to swing the ball in the first ten overs. They take early wickets. If the wicket assists the batsmen, it will create pressure on them. We may not bat the same way as we did against South Africa. I think the simple fact is the type of wicket would be different.

"We played on a used wicket against them, while we will play on a new wicket against New Zealand. Their bowlers have swing with pace, which we have to tackle together. We have to play according to the merit of the ball. If there's swing, we have to play out the first few overs."

Soumya vowed to try and keep his form intact, having scored three fifties in his last four innings, including his match-winning effort in the tri-series final against New Zealand couple of weeks ago.

"I will try to play my way," he said. "Sometimes it is a quickfire knock, while at other times it may be a long innings. I try to give the team a good platform, whether I am scoring twenties or thirties, or a hundred. I want it to be helpful for the team. It is my personal plan. If my way of batting puts the opposition under pressure, it helps my team. I try to stick to my plan."

One of the major features - and also a change - in his approach has been the choice of shots that Soumya has made. He hardly goes for wild swings or slogs after he has hit a few boundaries, a problem he had between 2016 and 2018. The discipline has so far given him runs, although a more focused approach is required for a better conversion rate.

He has scored two ODI hundreds among his twelve 50-plus scores, but a bigger concern is the 16 innings in which he got out between the scores of 20 and 45.

But if Soumya, Tamim and the rest of the Bangladesh batsmen can temper their freewheeling strokeplay against New Zealand on Wednesday, even if it is for at least the first ten to twelve overs, Bangladesh may be able to control more of the match.