Shadman Islam Defends Bangladesh Batting Lineup After Day 1 Struggles Against Sri Lanka

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

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

While several Bangladesh batsmen managed to get decent starts, none could convert them into substantial scores. Poor shot selection plagued the team, leading to a disappointing end to the rain-disrupted day.

Shadman himself led the way with a score of 46. Other contributors included Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31). Despite showing promise and weathering the initial challenges, these batsmen ultimately faltered.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman told reporters after play concluded. "We played shots in Galle too, where those ended in boundaries. But unfortunately, maybe it was not our day today."

He dismissed the notion that the team was trying to force the scoring rate. "Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket," he conceded.

Shadman also pointed to the slow nature of the wicket. "I think the wicket was a little bit slow. There was no movement in the morning, but we threw our wickets away. Hopefully, we won't do that in the second innings," he stated.

He further suggested that the intermittent rain interruptions also contributed to the team's underwhelming performance, as batsmen had to restart their innings after breaks, disrupting their momentum.

"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."

Defending the captain's decision to bat first, Shadman expressed confidence 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. "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, admitted his surprise at the wicket's behavior at the SSC. He 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.

He praised the efforts of his fast bowlers. "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 also expressed confidence in Prabath Jayasuriya's return to form. "Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back," he said.