Shadman Islam Defends Bangladesh Batters After Dismal Day One Against Sri Lanka OR Bangladesh's Shadman Islam Stands By Teammates After Batting Collapse Against Sri Lanka

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

Despite several batsmen achieving starts, none were able to capitalize and convert them into substantial scores. This was attributed to questionable shot selection as Bangladesh concluded a rain-affected first day.

Shadman led the team with 46 runs. Other batsmen, including Mominul Haque (21), Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Litton Kumar Das (34), and Mehidy Hasan (31), also showed promise. However, after weathering the initial challenges, they ultimately faltered.

"You cannot score runs without playing shots," Shadman told reporters after the day's play. "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 intent to score at a faster rate, he responded, "Nothing like that (trying to score at a good pace). Maybe some shots were wrong. It's part of cricket."

Shadman added, "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 also suggested that the interruptions caused by rain contributed to the team's underwhelming performance, as batsmen had to restart their innings after losing momentum.

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

Shadman defended the captain's choice to bat first, maintaining that a score of around 270 to 280 runs would be competitive on the slow pitch 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 further stated, "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, expressed surprise at the behavior of the pitch at the SSC.

He remarked that the surface behaved in a way he had seldom seen throughout his 15-year career as a player.

"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 added.

"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 concluded.