Bangladesh's Shadman Defends Batting Lineup After Day 1 Stumbles vs. Sri Lanka

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

Shadman leads Bangladesh in scoring with 46 on a rain-affected first day. © AFP

Despite several batsmen managing to get decent starts, none were able to convert them into substantial scores. Poor shot selection was a significant factor as Bangladesh concluded a rain-disrupted day one.

While Shadman emerged as the top scorer with 46, other batsmen including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31) all showed promise. However, after weathering the initial challenges, they faltered and lost their wickets.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman stated in a post-day interview. "We played shots in Galle too, where those ended in boundaries. But unfortunately, maybe it was not our day today."

He dismissed the idea that they were specifically trying to accelerate the scoring rate, saying, "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

Shadman also commented on the pitch conditions, noting, "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 further suggested that the frequent rain interruptions contributed to their underwhelming performance, as batsmen had to rebuild their innings repeatedly. "The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role."

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

Defending the captain's decision to bat first, Shadman emphasized that a total around 270 to 280 would be competitive on the slow surface. "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.

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

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, expressed 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," said Kandamby.

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

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