Mushfiq told the media following the conclusion of the first Test match, “[Friday] night, I thought we had a chance to draw the game. I thought the wicket was pretty good. Still, it doesn’t look like a day-five wicket. It doesn’t look like there is anything wrong with the wicket. We hoped that if we had managed to survive the first half an hour or one hour; it would have been crucial. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that.
“We lost our top five batsmen. After that, it became very difficult to recover ourselves. Those early wickets cost us the game,” he said.
Mushfiq said the application shown by the batsmen was not right in both the innings as few of the batters gave their wickets away easily on a good batting track.
“No matter how good the wicket is or how good the batsmen are, it takes only one ball if you are not mentally in the right place or don’t have the concentration or application. In that aspect, I will say we were behind. Especially on such a good wicket on which they played so easily, particularly the way Upul Tharanga scored his hundred in the second innings, he did not face any problems,” said Mushfiq.
"So from that viewpoint, the application was a source of disappointment as captain. [Friday] night, we had some hope after the way Soumya [Sarkar] and Tamim [Iqbal] batted. It gave us confidence, that at least if we can survive the first session or hour with minimal loss, then we could advance to a draw,” he added.
Mushfiq explained that their batting collapse prior to the second and final Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo is a major concern for the team.
“In our last two Tests, in India and New Zealand, batting was not all that bad. In the first innings, we batted badly and scored 321 (312). Almost no one scored runs and we scored 321 (312). So if you look past [Saturday's] innings, there is nothing to be too worried about. But these are challenges we have to overcome very quickly,” said Mushfiq.
“In the last two series' we had chances. If we had utilised them, we could have achieved a result, like a draw, or a win. [Saturday] was one such opportunity – 98 overs to bat with 10 wickets in hand – so from that sense, I will say we have to utilise these chances soon. So if we work on those, hopefully, we can do well in the next Test.
“It was very disheartening the way he (Soumya) started [Saturday]. Because in the first ball of the day, if you are trying to sweep it is very difficult. That applies for any batsman, no matter if you are batting on 100 or 200 overnight,” he concluded.
Friday, May 23, 2025
