A new captain but there was nothing new in his helm because of the Tigers' same old pathetic batting display on the opening day.

It has been repeatedly told in the last few days that this time the Bangladeshi batsmen felt more confident to face the rich Sri Lankan attack as they went through special batting sessions during preparation under the guidance of interim coach Shaun Williams.

But after being dismissed for their third lowest score (89) in 47 Test appearances, it proved that anything has hardly changed in their approach to the longer-version of the game.

"It's really disappointing the way I started my captaincy. We have had high hopes of making something good this time after we worked hard in the nets but ultimately, we failed to translate our efforts into form," the new Bangladesh captain said while expressing his frustration after the day's play.

"We just did the same old things," he admitted.

There seemed to be no ghost in the pitch although home skipper Mahela Jayawardene invited the Tigers to bat first under brilliant sunshine in a calm and quite atmosphere at the city's prestigious ground.

As expected, there was bounce but hardly any movement off the pitch. And interestingly, the bounce at SSC is always being considered as supportive of batting. Staying for only one and a half hour in the middle actually made no sense in a five-day game.

The Bangladeshi batsmen agonisingly failed to apply the basics and common sense, which saw them take lunch at a precarious 64-7.

Ashraful himself was most vocal about his side's realisation about shot selections but it was hard to believe, especially after what he did.

The right-hander, who has a memorable record of becoming the youngest test centurion on debut at this very venue, came to bat with his side struggling at 32-3 and the situation demanded to play carefully and halt the disaster. But he was adventurous enough to pull Dilhara Fernando only to sky the ball to backward square-leg for a simple catch by debutant Malinda Warnapura.

"I was the only batsman who threw away the wicket but I think most of the guys were dismissed by good deliveries. I don't want to give any excuses because the wicket was perfect for batting and we should have survived against a quality bowling at this level," he said.

The talented batsman was not sure after spending six years at the highest level about where the problem actually lies after his side's painful batting in the first innings.

"This innings definitely reflected that we are not skilled enough to handle quality attacks but I am not sure whether we have any technical problem in batting."

Ashraful was aware of the fact that it is almost impossible to come back in the match after the home side's healthy 138-run lead with seven more first-innings wickets in hand.

"It is very tough but we have to try our best in the second innings. Our bowlers should try to restrict them from quick scoring," he observed.

Many had hoped for former captain Habibul Bashar's return among runs after his half century in the lead-up game to the Test but the most successful batsman of the country was trapped leg before by Dilhara Fernando, who made the initial damage by taking three wickets while opener Shahriar Nafees added more owes to his out-of-form wounds by making only 15.

It was all about the sad story of the Bangladesh innings.

Sri Lanka also missed a few good chances, especially rookie wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene let down his bowlers on two occasions. However, Bangladesh failed to capitalise on those mistakes as only the brave can ride the luck.