Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Stands by Batters After Day 1 Setbacks Against Sri Lanka

Shadman Supports Bangladesh's Batters After Difficult First Day

Shadman Islam, the opening batter for Bangladesh, has voiced his support for the team's batting lineup following a lackluster performance on the first day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka.

Shadman top-scored for Bangladesh with 46 on a rain-hit opening day © AFP

Despite several Bangladesh batters managing to get starts, none were able to capitalize and convert them into significant scores. This was largely attributed to questionable shot selection, resulting in Bangladesh concluding the rain-affected day in a precarious position.

Shadman himself led the scoring with 46 runs. Other batters, including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31), all showed promise but failed to maintain their composure after navigating the initial challenges.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman explained to reporters after the day's play. "We played shots in Galle too, where those ended in boundaries. But unfortunately, maybe it was not our day today."

He dismissed suggestions that the team was deliberately trying to accelerate the scoring rate. "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket," he stated.

Shadman also noted the sluggish nature of the pitch. "I think the wicket was a little bit slow. There was no movement in the morning, but we threw our wickets away, but hopefully, we won't do that in the second innings," he said.

He further suggested that the interruptions due to rain contributed to the team's underwhelming performance, as batters were forced to rebuild their innings after each break in play. "The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role," Shadman added. "No one wants to get out intentionally. Maybe it was a bad day for us," he concluded.

Shadman defended the captain's choice to bat first, asserting that a total around 270 to 280 would be competitive on the slow surface at the SSC. "No, I haven't seen anything like that from which we can say that the decision was wrong [opting to bat first]. The wicket was a bit slow. I hope 270-280 is a good score. If we can bowl well, we will make a comeback Insha'Allah," he said.

"If we can bowl in good areas, then we can make a comeback as there's help on the wicket," he added, emphasizing the importance of disciplined bowling.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, expressed his surprise at the pitch's behavior at the SSC. He remarked that the surface played unlike anything he had experienced in his 15-year career.

"It's quite an unusual wicket at the SSC. Normally, you get true bounce here, but today it was a bit two-paced. The pace and bounce weren't consistent, and the ball came off the surface slower than we expected," Kandamby explained.

He praised the efforts of his fast bowlers. "The fast bowlers really showed character. They picked up key wickets and kept us in the game," he said.

"They (fast bowlers) focused heavily on fitness and bowling workloads, and the coaches have monitored them closely. That work is showing now," he said, adding that he expects Prabath to regain his form soon. "Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back," he said.