Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Rallies Behind Batters After Day 1 Setbacks vs. Sri Lanka

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

Shadman Islam's solid innings of 46 led Bangladesh on a rain-affected day © AFP

Despite several batsmen managing to get decent starts, none were able to capitalize and convert them into significant scores. Poor shot selection was a contributing factor as Bangladesh concluded the rain-affected day.

While Shadman led the way with a score of 46, other batsmen including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31) all got starts but failed to maintain their composure and build substantial innings after weathering the initial challenges.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman told 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 if there was a conscious effort to score at a quicker rate, Shadman responded, "Nothing like that. 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. Hopefully, we won't do that in the second innings."

Shadman also suggested that the interruptions due to rain impacted their performance, as batsmen had to readjust after losing their momentum. "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," he stated.

The opener also defended the captain's decision to bat first, asserting that a score of around 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.

Shadman 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 behavior of the pitch at the SSC. He remarked that the surface was playing 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 added.

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