Dhaka – Shadman Islam, the southpaw newcomer of Bangladesh, hit a fifty on debut against West Indies on the first day of the second Test of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.The 23-year-old opener showed extreme patience at the crease as he faced 199 deliveries to post 76 on the board. The batsman believes that the intention to steady on basics helped him flourish at the highest level of the game.
“I didn’t think to do anything extra while batting in the middle. I just wanted to steady on the basics of batting and I just wanted to play the way I do in the domestic circuit,” the youngster said at a post-day press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
“They are (Soumya and Shakib) more experienced than me. They told me to follow my own instinct in the middle, and they advised me to do what I usually do in the domestic cricket,” Shadman further added.
The left-handed batsman scored 648 runs in the last National Cricket League (NCL) which is the biggest First-class competition of Bangladesh. He topped the list of most runs scorer of the contest with two centuries and three half-centuries to his credit.
And right after that, he hit a significant fifty in a practice match against West Indies in Chattogram that paved the way for his inclusion in the national side. “That experience (of hitting a fifty in the practice game) helped me understand their bowlers. The plan I have followed in that game helped me here do something remarkable,” the left-hander said. Shadman looked determined to play big innings at the stroke of his exposure in the international cricket. But, he fell on 76 while facing a delivery of Devendra Bishoo. The batsman insisted at the post-day press meet that he has no regret for not to manage a big total. “Everyone wants to hit a ton on debut. But, I couldn’t do that. There’s no feeling of disappointment. My plan was to do something for the team, and I played accordingly. But, I believe I would have done more for the team,” Shadman further said.UNB
