Nightmare Start for Bangladesh as Anamul Falls for Duck Again

The phrase “a nightmare start” is one that cricket fans know all too well — and Bangladesh opener Anamul Haque Bijoy brought it to life once again on the opening day of the second Test in Colombo.

Anamul was dismissed for a duck after facing 10 balls, failing to score a single run. Bangladesh’s opening stand ended at just 5 runs, replicating the same scoreline from Galle, where Anamul had also faced 10 deliveries and walked back without troubling the scorers.

Adding to Bangladesh’s early woes, Mominul Haque also continued his poor run with the bat. Despite playing on a batting-friendly surface like in Galle — where he scored 29 and 14 in two innings — he managed only 21 runs today. His 38-run partnership with Sadman Islam off 71 balls was broken just when it was beginning to stabilize the innings.

At 42 for 2, Bangladesh found themselves under pressure once again. But skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and opener Sadman Islam stepped up to rebuild the innings with maturity and composure.

At lunch on Day 1, Bangladesh reached 71 for 2 after 26 overs. Shanto remained unbeaten on 7 off 21 balls, while Sadman held firm with a steady 43 off 86 deliveries.

Earlier, captain Shanto won the toss — just like in the first Test — and had no hesitation in opting to bat first again. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz returned to the XI after recovering from illness, while pacer Ebadot Hossain was included in place of the injured Hasan Mahmud.

Despite the early setbacks, Bangladesh will be looking to build a strong first-innings total in this crucial Test match in Colombo.