Shadman Islam Defends Bangladesh Batters After Day 1 Setbacks Against Sri Lanka

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

Despite several batsmen managing to get a start, they were unable to capitalize and convert them into substantial scores. This was largely due to questionable shot selection, leading Bangladesh to conclude the rain-affected day in a less than ideal position.

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) also showed promise. However, after weathering the initial challenges, they faltered and lost their wickets.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman stated 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 added, "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, saying, "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 interruptions caused by rain contributed to their underwhelming performance, as batsmen were forced to readjust and rebuild their momentum after each break.

"The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role," Shadman explained.

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

Defending the captain's decision to bat first, Shadman emphasized that a score in the range of 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," Shadman concluded.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, expressed his surprise at the behavior of the pitch at the SSC.

Kandamby noted 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.

"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 is expecting out of form to come back good sooner than later.

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