Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett led from the front on his first Test in charge, scoring a magnificent 128 as the visitors posted 504 in their first innings on Day 2 of the opening Test against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Bennett, who took over the captaincy after Richard Ngarava was ruled out through injury, resumed on 71 overnight and carried his good work into the second morning. He reached his hundred off 178 balls with a four off Ziaur Rahman, and went on to make 128 off 206 balls with 11 fours before he was caught off leg-spinner Qais Ahmad.
The 22-year-old’s innings was the centrepiece of a dominant Zimbabwe batting display. He shared a 137-run stand for the third wicket with Brendan Taylor, who had set the tone on the opening day with 131 off 168 balls, striking 14 fours and four sixes. Together, the pair took Zimbabwe from a position of strength to one of total control against an Afghan attack that was expected to grow more dangerous as the Sharjah surface wore.
It was Bennett’s third Test century, and it put him in elite company. He became only the fourth Zimbabwean to score a hundred on his Test captaincy debut, and the second-youngest Zimbabwe captain to reach three figures in the format. Across 13 Tests, he now has 696 runs at 36.63, and two of his three centuries have come against Afghanistan — 246 runs at 61.50 in five innings against them.
There were valuable contributions throughout the order. Wessly Madhevere, who had ducks in each of his previous three innings against Afghanistan, made 54 off 70 balls with nine fours in a 96-run stand with his captain, while wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga added 44 and the returning Graeme Cremer finished unbeaten on 34. Zimbabwe, who had been 287 for 5 at one stage, kept finding runs down the order to push past 500.
Afghanistan’s bowlers toiled for more than 134 overs. Left-arm seamer Mohammad Saleem Safi finished with three for 82 and Qais Ahmad took three for 120, while left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar bowled 46 overs for his two for 170. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi chipped in with the wicket of Taylor.
Afghanistan began their reply in the final session and had reached four without loss, with Sediqullah Atal on four and Abdul Malik yet to score, still 500 runs behind. With nearly three days remaining, Zimbabwe will look to their seamers Blessing Muzarabani and Newman Nyamhuri to make early inroads and press home the advantage their batters have built.
Also read: Brendan Taylor’s 131 puts Zimbabwe in command on Day 1 of Sharjah Test against Afghanistan | Bennett to captain Zimbabwe in Afghanistan Tests as Cremer returns after nearly nine years
