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

Shadman Islam Defends Bangladesh Batters After Day One Struggles

Shadman Islam, the opening batsman 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 leads Bangladesh's batting effort with 46. © AFP

Despite several batsmen achieving starts, none were able to convert them into substantial scores. This was largely attributed to questionable shot selection, ultimately leading to Bangladesh concluding the rain-affected day in a precarious position.

Shadman himself scored a team-high 46 runs. Other batsmen, including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31), all showed promise but failed to capitalize on their starts 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 as well, and those resulted in boundaries. Unfortunately, today might not have been our day."

When asked about the perceived aggressive approach, Shadman clarified, "It wasn't about trying to score at a good pace. Perhaps some shots were poorly chosen. It's part of cricket."

He added, "I believe the wicket was slightly slow. There wasn't much movement in the morning, but we gave away our wickets. Hopefully, we can avoid repeating that in the second innings."

Shadman also suggested that the intermittent rain interruptions had a negative impact on their performance, as batsmen were forced to restart their innings after losing momentum. "The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role," he stated.

"No one wants to get out intentionally. Maybe it was a bad day for us," he conceded.

Furthermore, Shadman defended his captain's choice to bat first, asserting that a total of around 270 to 280 runs would be competitive on the slow surface at the SSC.

"No, I haven't seen anything to suggest that the decision [to bat first] was incorrect. 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 optimistically.

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

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

"The fast bowlers really showed character. They picked up key wickets and kept us in the game," he acknowledged.

"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 those out of form to return to form soon.

"Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back," Kandamby concluded.