Shadman Islam, the opening batsman for Bangladesh, has voiced his support for his team's batting lineup following a lackluster performance on the opening day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka.
Despite several batsmen making starts, none were able to convert them into substantial scores. This was largely due to poor shot selection, resulting in Bangladesh concluding a rain-affected first day in a precarious position.
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), also managed to get starts. After weathering the initial challenges, they appeared poised to capitalize on their opportunities, but ultimately lost their focus.
"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," Shadman told reporters after the day's play.
"Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket," he added, suggesting it wasn't a deliberate attempt to increase the scoring rate.
Shadman also commented on the pitch conditions, 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."
He further suggested that the interruptions due to rain may have contributed to their underwhelming performance, as batsmen were forced to restart their innings after losing 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 said.
Shadman defended his captain's decision to bat first, asserting 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 stated.
"If we can bowl in good areas, then we can make a comeback as there's help on the wicket," he added.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Thilina Kandamby, expressed his surprise at the behavior of the pitch 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," said Kandamby.
"The fast bowlers really showed character. They picked up key wickets and kept us in the game," he said.
"They (fast bowlers) focused heavily on fitness and bowling workloads, and the coaches have monitored them closely. That work is showing now," he said adding that he is expecting out of form to come back good sooner than later.
"Prabath is slightly out of form, but we believe in his experience. I'm confident he'll bounce back," he said.
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