Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Stands by Batters After Day 1 Stumbles Against Sri Lanka

Shadman Islam, the opening batsman for Bangladesh, has voiced his support for the team's batting lineup following a less than stellar 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

While several Bangladeshi batsmen managed to get starts, they failed to convert them into substantial scores. Poor shot selection contributed to Bangladesh's struggle to capitalize on their opportunities, ultimately leading to a disappointing close to the rain-affected day.

Shadman himself led the scoring with 46 runs. Other batsmen, including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31), showed promise but couldn't maintain their composure after weathering the initial challenges.

"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."

When asked about the team's scoring tempo, Shadman responded, "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

He 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."

Shadman believes that the interruptions caused by rain also played a role in the team's underwhelming performance, as the batsmen had to readjust their focus each time play resumed.

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

Despite the setbacks, Shadman defended the captain's decision to bat first. He suggested that a total of around 270 to 280 runs would be 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 said.

"If we can bowl in good areas, then we can make a comeback as there's help on the wicket," Shadman added optimistically.

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 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," Kandamby explained.

He lauded 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 added, expressing confidence that Prabath, despite being out of form, would soon recover.

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