Dhaka: Opener Shadman Islam lamented Bangladesh’s batting slump in the last session on Day 2 of the second and final cricket Test against Zimbabwe, saying that they could have been in complete control of the game had they not lost wickets in flurry.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Shadman said after the day’s play, “We lost wickets in a flurry. If we had not lost those wickets, we would have been in a lead of more than 100 runs. Still we were in a good position, but not as per our expectation.”
Shadman hit his second Test ton, a 120-run knock that gave Bangladesh a solid platform. When Shadman got out, the scoreboard read 194-3. From there, Bangladesh reached 259-3, thanks to Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto. However, leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa triggered a collapse, and the run-out of Mushfiqur Rahim forced Bangladesh to end with 291-7.
Shadman played with positive intent from the beginning, achieving a strike rate of 66.29, the highest among the innings in which he scored at least 25 runs in Tests. He emphasized playing according to the situation, stating, “I do not bat with such (intent). Of course, I try to hit boundaries when the opportunity comes.”
Thanks to Shadman and Anamul Haque Bijoy, Bangladesh finally saw their opening partnership reach 100 runs in Tests after 33 innings and 28 months. Playing his first Test in three years, Bijoy scored 39 runs.
Shadman praised Bijoy’s performance, saying, “He is a very experienced, senior player. We have seen that he always scored runs. The way he started today, he was in very good shape, he was doing well. But unfortunately he got out.”
Shadman expressed optimism for the remaining innings, explaining that Bangladesh still aims to add more than 100 runs to put Zimbabwe out of the match. “We have Miraz and Taijul in the crease and if they form a good partnership, it will be good for us. Hopefully, if we have a good partnership, we will be very ahead,” he said.