Half-centuries from Sediqullah Atal and debutant Rahmanullah scripted a spirited start for Afghanistan in response to Zimbabwe’s mammoth first-innings total on the second day of the opening Test at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
At stumps on Day 2, Afghanistan were well placed at 113 for one in 35 overs, trailing by a further 391 runs, with Atal and Rahmanullah unbeaten on 55 and 50 respectively. The pair came together after a contrasting start to the innings, when opener Abdul Malik fell for two in the sixth over with just 14 runs on the board, and batted sensibly to put together an unbroken 99-run partnership for the second wicket to close out the day on a high for the hosts.
Atal, who faced 114 balls for his 55, and Rahmanullah, who needed 83 balls for his maiden Test fifty on debut, kept the scoreboard moving on a surface that continued to favour the batters. With two well-set batters at the crease and nearly three days remaining, Afghanistan will believe they can bat themselves back into a match that looked to be slipping away when Zimbabwe piled up the runs.
Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe resumed their first innings on 326 for five and added 178 more for their remaining five wickets to finish at 504 all out in 134.3 overs. Captain Brian Bennett followed Brendan Taylor in reaching a century, scoring 128 off 206 deliveries with 11 fours, while Taylor had laid the foundation on the opening day with 131 off 168 balls, his seventh Test hundred. The returning Graeme Cremer finished unbeaten on 34 to take the total past 500.
Afghanistan’s bowlers toiled for more than 134 overs on a flat deck. Left-arm seamer Mohammad Saleem Safi finished with three for 82 and leg-spinner Qais Ahmad took three for 120, while left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar bowled 46 overs for his two for 170.
A total of 82.3 overs were bowled on the day, with both teams scoring a combined 291 runs for the loss of six wickets. The trail is still 391 for Afghanistan, and Day 3 — the moving day of this Test — promises to be an enthralling one, with the hosts needing their two set batters to bat long and Zimbabwe looking to their seamers to break through and press home the advantage their batters built.
Brian Bennett’s 128 on captaincy debut powers Zimbabwe to 504 against Afghanistan in Sharjah
Brendan Taylor’s 131 puts Zimbabwe in command on Day 1 of Sharjah Test against Afghanistan
