Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Defends Batting Lineup After Day 1 Setbacks Against Sri Lanka

Shadman Islam Stands by Teammates After Day of Struggles

Shadman Islam, the opening batsman for Bangladesh, has voiced his support for the team's batting lineup following a challenging first day in 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 promising starts, none were able to capitalize and convert those into substantial scores. This was largely due to questionable shot selection, resulting in Bangladesh concluding the rain-affected first day in a precarious position.

Shadman emerged as the top scorer with 46 runs. Other notable contributions came from Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31). While these players demonstrated initial resilience against the Sri Lankan attack, they ultimately succumbed to pressure and lost their wickets.

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

Responding to queries about their scoring tempo, Shadman clarified, "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

He further added, "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."

Shadman also pointed out that the frequent rain interruptions had a negative impact on their performance, as batsmen were forced to restart their innings repeatedly, disrupting their momentum.

"The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role," he suggested. "No one wants to get out intentionally. Maybe it was a bad day for us."

The opening batsman defended the captain's decision to bat first, emphasizing that a total in the range of 270 to 280 runs would represent a competitive score 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 asserted.

"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 surprise at the wicket's behavior at the SSC.

He remarked that the pitch conditions were unusual, differing significantly from what 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 commended the efforts of his fast bowlers, stating, "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 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.