Shakib gives the blueprint on how Bangladesh can save the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka
It's as if one were rewatching the highlights of the first innings. 24/4 and 23/4. Eerily similar. As if the batters were coming in and going out and in the process, ended up handing the saviours of the first innings, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das the monumental task of avoiding a probable looking innings defeat for which Bangladesh still needs to score a further 107 runs.
Bangladesh trailed Sri Lanka by 141 runs at the beginning of the innings and ended the day at a paltry 34/4. Now the question beckons, can Bangladesh save themselves from the clutches of what would be an embarrassing defeat on home soil?
To avoid this, the master all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan laid the footprint of what needs to be done. Despite, the looming defeat, Shakib urges all to not lose hope.
"In our current situation, hopefully, the two batters at the crease can bat till lunch. After that, it would be of great help for the team if I could bat for three more hours."
Shakib has insisted that it will be imperative to not lose any wickets in the first session. "The first session is very important. We will be in a huge mess if we lose more than one wicket before lunch. If we have two set batsmen at the crease, it would be difficult for them to take wickets"
On the prospect of facing the Sri Lankan pace duo of Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando; who so far have been a thorn in both of Bangladesh's innings, Shakib added, " Their frontline bowlers are their two pacers. They will bowl in five or six over spells. They may bowl 20 overs at best before lunch. Things will be a lot easier if we can neutralize that threat because in doing so, the ball will lose its shine and get softer, the bowlers will tire out and by that time the batters will be set as well."
