Simmons pleased Bangladesh ‘hit the ground running’

Simmons pleased Bangladesh 'hit the ground running'

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons expressed confidence ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, citing their strong performance in the series opener.

"There's a lot of confidence from the way we played. Often, we're a bit slow to start in the first Test of a series, but this time, we hit the ground running. That gives us a lot of belief going into the second Test," Simmons said.

The team is looking to build on their draw in Galle and is expecting a good wicket in Colombo. Simmons noted that they will decide on their team balance later today, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz set to return after missing the opening game due to fever.

Dhananjaya de Silva wants batters to take responsibility

Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva expects a high-scoring contest in Colombo and urges his batters to take responsibility, saying that posting a strong total in the first innings can put pressure on the opposition.

"We always talk about big first-innings runs. If we can post a strong total, the pressure shifts to the opposition and then it's about taking 20 wickets to win the match," Dhananjaya said.