DHAKA, Feb 3, 2025 (BSS) - Rangpur Riders opener Soumya Sarkar created an unwanted record today during his side’s crucial BPL Eliminator game against Khulna Tigers by being out for duck without facing any ball. 

In cricketing language, this out for 0 runs is called as diamond duck, which unfortunately Soumya Sarkar made after this dismissal at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. His team were bowled out for a meager 85 in 16.2 overs and eventually lost the game by nine wickets. 

He was trapped run out during the second ball of the innings when Rangpur’s English recruit James Vince wanted to take a single by pushing the ball to short mid-on. 

By being dismissed without facing any delivery, Soumya is now joint-top in the record of making the most 'diamond ducks' in T20s among Bangladeshi batters. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny earlier was the lone Bangladeshi member in this club.

This is the 23rd incident of diamond duck in the BPL. Of these, 14 Bangladeshi players were dismissed for 15 times before playing a ball. 

Arafat Sunny has faced such an experience twice in the BPL in 2020 for Rangpur Riders against Dhaka Platoon and in 2022 for Minister Group Dhaka against Chattogram Challengers. He was also dismissed for a duck without playing a ball in the 2013 Victory Day T20 Cup.

Soumya has been dismissed for a duck for the joint-most 13 times in international T20Is. This is the first time the 31-year-old batsman was dismissed without playing a ball in the BPL. He experienced his previous two diamond ducks in 2013 against Bangladesh 'A' in the T20 Challenge Series, and the other against Pakistan in 2015. Coincidentally, Soumya has made three diamond ducks in recognized T20 cricket at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.

In BPL, Mirpur Stadium saw more diamond ducks than any other ground in Bangladesh. Out of 23, 17 were registered at this ground. West Indies' Dwayne Smith was the first to be dismissed for a diamond duck in BPL, playing for Khulna Royal Bengals against Barisal Burners in the inaugural edition in 2012. Mominul Haque was the first Bangladeshi batter to have such an experience in the same year in the Dhaka Gladiators-Barisal Burners match.

Soumya became the second opener to be dismissed in BPL without playing a ball. The first was Khulna Titans' Hasanuzzaman, against Dhaka Dynamites in Chittagong in the 2016 season.

There is, however, one instance of Bangladeshi players experiencing a diamond duck in a Test. In 2015, in the Fatullah Test against India, Zubair Hossain was dismissed for a duck without playing any ball.

Seven Bangladeshi batters had made a diamond duck in ODIs with Akram Khan inaugurating the club in 1999. And the last to do so was Mominul Haque in 2013. The other five are Naimur Rahman, Habibul Bashar, Enamul Haque Jr., Naeem Islam and Junaid Siddiqui.

Other than Soumya, among the Bangladeshi players who have been dismissed for a duck without playing a ball in international T20Is are Nasir Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahmudul Hasan and Mahedi Hasan.