Sharjah: Brendan Taylor’s commanding 131 — his first Test century in about eight years — and an unbeaten 71 from captain Brian Bennett carried Zimbabwe to 326 for 5 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Zimbabwe, who won the toss and chose to bat, made a solid start through their openers, who put on 60 for the first wicket before Innocent Kaia fell. Ben Curran then added 65 alongside Taylor before departing in the second session, but by then the veteran had taken control of the day.
Taylor, 40, brought up his hundred shortly after tea, continuing a fluent innings that featured 14 fours and four sixes. He became the oldest Zimbabwe batter to score a Test hundred, and his 131 from 168 balls was his seventh Test century. At tea Zimbabwe were 213 for 2, with Taylor on 95 and Bennett on 36, and the pair’s 137-run stand had taken the visitors from 125 for 2 to 262 for 2 before Taylor fell, holing out to long-off.
That dismissal triggered a mini-collapse. Afghanistan’s spinners struck twice in quick succession as Zimbabwe slipped from 262 for 2 to 287 for 5, with Antum Naqvi the last to go, caught behind off Zia-ur-Rehman for 9. Zia-ur-Rehman finished the day with two wickets for 118, but the late fightback could not undo the damage of the first two sessions, in which Zimbabwe scored 104 for 1 and then 109 for 1.
Bennett, leading Zimbabwe in this series, held the innings together amid the late strikes. He was unbeaten on 71 from 128 balls at stumps and has added an unbroken 39 with Wessly Madhevere, who counter-attacked for 29 not out from 31 balls, to take Zimbabwe to 326 for 5 when bad light brought an early end to the day’s play. Afghanistan took the second new ball at 86.5 overs but managed only a few deliveries with it before the umpires called stumps, with 87 overs bowled.
Zimbabwe will resume on day two with a real chance of pushing past 400, a total that would put them firmly in command of the first Test of the two-match series. Afghanistan, who toiled for only two wickets across the first two sessions, will need early wickets with the second new ball on Friday morning to drag themselves back into the contest.
