Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has stood by his decision to bat first in the second Test in Colombo but admitted that a poor batting display in the first innings set the tone for the innings-and-78-run defeat to Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh collapsed in the second innings of the match as well. They were behind by more than 200 runs after the first innings of each team. Then they failed to surpass the first innings lead of Sri Lanka. 

After drawing the opening Test in Galle—where Najmul struck centuries in both innings and Bangladesh dominated for long periods—expectations were high heading into Colombo.

However, the visitors faltered with the bat, getting bowled out for 247 in their first innings before conceding 458 to Sri Lanka. The collapse continued in the second innings, with Bangladesh dismissed for just 133.

Najmul steps down as Bangladesh Test captain after Colombo defeat

“I still believe batting first was the right call. The pitch was a bit slow, but we didn’t bat well,” Najmul said after the match. “The way we lost our wickets, it wasn’t good. We were often looking for the easy way out.”

He pointed specifically to the first innings as the turning point of the match.

“We had opportunities in this Test too, but we couldn’t make them count. Especially the way we batted in the first innings—it wasn’t what we had hoped for. That’s what cost us the game,” he said.

Najmul, who just retired from Test captaincy, acknowledged that most batters threw their wickets away under little pressure.

“There were mistakes from the top to the lower order. We didn’t build partnerships or show patience. That hurt us,” he said.

Dismal batting hands Bangladesh a heavy defeat in Colombo

While praising the bowlers for picking up eight wickets on the third day to bowl Sri Lanka out, Najmul was clear that the game was already beyond reach.

“We just didn’t do enough with the bat to stay in the contest,” he said.