Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Rallying Behind Teammates After Day 1 Batting Woes vs. Sri Lanka

Bangladesh's opening batsman, Shadman Islam, has voiced his support for the team's batting lineup following a shaky performance on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Despite several batsmen making promising starts, none were able to convert them into substantial scores, leading to a somewhat disappointing close to the rain-affected day.

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

Shadman Islam himself led the way with 46 runs, while others like Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31) all showed glimpses of potential but ultimately failed to capitalize after weathering the initial pressure.

Key Quotes from Shadman Islam

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

Addressing the perceived lack of urgency in scoring, Shadman clarified, "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

He also pointed out the nature of the pitch, 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."

Impact of Rain Interruption

Shadman also suggested that the interruptions due to rain had a negative effect on their performance, as batsmen had to readjust and restart their innings multiple times. "The batters need to get set again after a break. Maybe it played a role," he explained.

When questioned about the team's overall performance, Shadman remained optimistic: "No one wants to get out intentionally. Maybe it was a bad day for us."

Defending the Decision to Bat First

Shadman defended the captain's choice to bat first, expressing confidence that a total in the range of 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 asserted.

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

Sri Lanka's Perspective

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, admitted surprise at the behavior of the SSC pitch. He noted, "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 praised his fast bowlers, stating, "The fast bowlers really showed character. They picked up key wickets and kept us in the game."

He concluded by expressing confidence in his players, even those currently out of form: "Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back."