Mohammad Salahuddin. Photo: Collected

DHAKA, May 09, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh’s assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin admitted his bowlers struggled badly with their line and length and failed to maintain pressure as Pakistan fought back strongly on the Day 2 of the opening Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.

Speaking after the day’s play, Salahuddin said Bangladesh missed the opportunity to tighten their grip on the match despite posting 413 runs in the first innings.

“I think it would have been better if we had scored another 50 runs, even though we crossed 400,” Salahuddin said. “In terms of bowling, we bowled a bit haphazardly today. In Test cricket, you need to know where to bowl to create pressure.”

Pakistan responded aggressively with quick scoring and ended Day 2 at 179-1 with two debutants Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal in the crease with 85 and 37 runs respectively. 

Salahuddin cited Bangladesh’s inconsistency with the ball for Pakistan batters’ quick scoring. 

“Sometimes it becomes very easy to bat if you bowl badly. If we had bowled in the right channel, maybe Pakistan would not have scored so easily,” he pointed out.

Bangladesh coach, however, credited Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas for exploiting the conditions effectively after Bangladesh had handled him well on the opening day.

“He can bowl consistently in one place, which is his main strength. He used the conditions very well today,” he remarked.

Salahuddin also acknowledged shortcomings in the field, particularly in slip catching, after Bangladesh missed crucial opportunities.

“We need to improve a lot in some areas, especially slip fielding. This is a specialized area and we will discuss how to improve.”

He suggested Bangladesh’s pacers may have become overexcited by the grassy surface and strayed from disciplined bowling plans.

“Fast bowlers often get excited when there is grass on the wicket and lose their line and length. Bowling in good areas was the most important thing,” he informed. 

Despite Pakistan’s strong response, Salahuddin remained optimistic about Bangladesh’s chances in the remainder of the Test.

“The bowlers still have a lot to do on this wicket,” he said. “We didn’t have a good session, everyone understands that and it can be fixed quickly. Our fast bowlers are experienced and have won us many matches, so they will definitely bounce back.”

He also admitted dropped catches and fielding errors hurt Bangladesh’s position.

“If the catches had been taken, we could have got one or two more wickets,” Salahuddin believed.

Comparing the two sides’ performances on the day, Salahuddin didn’t have any reservation to say that Pakistan executed their plans far better.

“Pakistan bowled much better than us today. They kept our batters under pressure all the time. Overall, they played better cricket than us today,” he concluded.