Shadman Islam Defends Bangladesh Batting Lineup After Day One 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 achieving starts, none were able to capitalize and convert them into substantial scores. Bangladesh concluded the rain-affected day with a below-par performance attributed to questionable shot selections.

Shadman led the scoring with 46 runs, while other batsmen, including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31), all managed to get decent starts. However, after weathering the initial challenges, they faltered and lost their wickets.

"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."

When asked about the team's scoring rate, he responded, "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: "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 rain interruptions disrupted the batsmen's rhythm, forcing them to rebuild their innings after each break.

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

"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 asserted 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 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 his surprise at the pitch's behavior at the SSC.

He remarked that the surface played unlike anything he had experienced during 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.

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

"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 out-of-form players to return to form soon.

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