Shadman Islam Stands by Bangladesh Batters After Day 1 Struggles Against Sri Lanka

Shadman Islam, the Bangladesh opener, has voiced his support for the team's batsmen after they encountered difficulties 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 Bangladesh batsmen making promising starts, none could convert their innings into substantial scores. This was largely due to questionable shot selection, resulting in a disappointing close to the rain-affected first day.

Shadman Islam 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 showed initial promise after weathering the early challenges, they ultimately failed to maintain their composure.

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

He dismissed suggestions that the team was deliberately trying to accelerate the scoring rate. "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket," he added.

Shadman also noted 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, but hopefully we won't do that in the second innings," he said.

According to Shadman, the interruptions caused by rain also contributed to their underwhelming performance, forcing batsmen to rebuild their innings after losing momentum. "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," he said, reflecting on the team's overall performance.

Furthermore, Shadman defended the captain's decision to bat first. He 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 confidently.

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

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, expressed surprise at the wicket's behavior at the SSC. He noted that the surface was uncharacteristically two-paced, a departure from its usual true bounce, something he had rarely encountered in 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," said Kandamby.

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

Kandamby further added, "They (fast bowlers) focused heavily on fitness and bowling workloads, and the coaches have monitored them closely. That work is showing now," indicating the positive impact of their training regimen. 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.