Shadman Stands By Bangladesh Batters After Day 1 Struggles Against Sri Lanka

Shadman Defends Bangladesh's Batting Display After Day 1 Setback

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

Shadman Islam's solid innings of 46 was a highlight for Bangladesh on a rain-affected first day. © AFP

Despite several batsmen managing to get decent starts, none were able to convert them into substantial scores. Bangladesh concluded the rain-affected day with a less-than-ideal score.

While Shadman himself scored a team-high 46, other batsmen including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31) all showed promise but ultimately failed to capitalize on their starts after navigating the initial challenges.

Speaking to reporters after the day's play, Shadman defended the batsmen's approach: "You cannot score runs without playing shots. We played shots in Galle too where those ended in boundaries. But unfortunately, maybe it was not our day today."

He further elaborated, "Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

Shadman also suggested that the pitch conditions played a role, stating, "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."

The opener pointed out that the repeated rain interruptions also hampered their progress, as batsmen had to readjust and rebuild their innings multiple times. "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 added.

Defending the captain's decision to bat first, Shadman expressed optimism 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.

He concluded by saying, "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 surprise at the pitch's behavior, noting its unusual two-paced nature, which he hadn't often seen during his 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 praised the Sri Lankan fast bowlers for their performance, saying, "The fast bowlers really showed character. They picked up key wickets and kept us in the game."

Kandamby also expressed confidence in his bowlers' fitness and workload management, and backed Prabath to regain his form soon. "Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back," he said.