Afghanistan Route 157 and 46 for 3 (Rahmat 18*, Muzarabani 2-17) Zimbabwe 243 (Ervine 75, Raza 61, Williams 49, Rashid 4-94) by 40 runs
Zimbabwe and Afghanistan battled for the lead on a fast-paced day of Test cricket in Bulawayo, with the hosts only slightly ahead.
283 runs were scored and 13 wickets fell on the second day, where the momentum swung between the two teams, leaving the Test in a delicate position.
In the morning there was enough on the field for the bowlers and Zimbabwe started showing plenty of discipline. But Joylord Gumbie’s patience did not last long as he edged Fareed Ahmad when Abdul Malik took a good low catch at second slip.
Yamin Ahmadzai then strangled Takudzwanashe Kaitano down the leg side to make it two wickets in two overs.
Just as Ben Curran began to gain momentum with a couple of boundaries off both Afghanistan quicks, Fareed caught him front-footed with an in-ducker, with Curran playing on the wrong line.
Afghanistan applied instant pressure on Zimbabwe’s No. 5 Dion Myers, who was promoted because Williams was suffering from a back injury since Thursday. With a snapping center in place, Myers opted to get out of trouble. He bowled Ahmadzai to the ground for a boundary but failed to try and cut one short and wide to leave Afghanistan at 41 for 4.
It could have been five down on the next ball when Fareed pulled the outside edge off Raza, who was on seven, only to see a regulation catch at first slip. The loss of Riaz Hassan was expensive. Raza began with back-to-back boundaries off Ahmadzai – a graceful drive followed by a cut point.
Raza and Ervine soon added 71 for the fourth wicket, relying mainly on singles, while Raza came up with the occasional boundary. Raza, playing his first Test since 2021, brought up his fifty by driving Rashid Khan through the sheets for two in the second over after lunch.
In the next over, Raza had another run of luck as he missed a shot to the left of deep square leg, but Ismat Alam let the ball slip out of his hands, much to Fareed’s frustration for the second time in the day.
However, Raza could only add eight more runs to his total when Hashmatullah Shahidi brought Zia-ur-Rahman into the attack. Rashid switched sides and Raza ended up missing a sweep on the first ball he faced against the left-arm spinner.
Rashid also looked sharper from the other end, and soon Brian Bennett was caught behind the inside edge with a misguided shot. It worked for Rashid again when he knocked down Newman Nyamhuri.
Zimbabwe were still ten runs behind the first innings total of Afghanistan and Williams, coming out to bat at number 9, and Ervine removed Rashid and Ahmadzai respectively for two boundaries in the next two overs to put Zimbabwe in the lead.
With Williams struggling with his back, Ahmadzai targeted him with short balls and almost created a catch-and-shoot opportunity in the 52nd minute, but the ball fell short. A ball later, Williams took another short ball and smashed it into mid-wicket, but also went down on his knees, holding his back in the process.
Williams then decided to go on the attack, lifting Rashid to mid-on before driving Ahmadzai past mid-on twice in an over. In Ahmadzai’s next over, Williams hit him for consecutive boundaries. Ervine, who was happy to play second fiddle at the other end, reached his half-century in the final before tea.
Zimbabwe started positively in the final session, with Williams hitting Zia at mid-wicket for his fourth boundary in the second over after tea. But in the next over, Rashid made a mistake and walked away as Williams looked to leg-spin. There was barely any audible noise, but Rashid was loud in his request to be caught from behind. The umpire, however, was not convinced, but Williams, who hit 49, walked.
“Obviously the medical staff have been working very hard to get him to the park today, they did a magnificent job there, and we’re going to have to continue to do that,” Zimbabwe coach Justin Sammons spoke after the day’s game about Williams. ‘previous number.
“It’s going to be difficult, he’s suffering a lot, but he showed tremendous courage coming out and showed what it is and what it means to him to play for Zimbabwe. You can see it in the way he goes about his business.
“I can’t look too far ahead, obviously we’re going step by step with him. We’re just going to try to get him into the best shape possible as we go through this test.”
Ervine tried to score once play resumed after a brief rain break, but Ngarava convinced his captain to take a single off the second ball of the 71st over, but he was felled by Ahmadzai’s long ball that stayed low.
Ervine took on Rashid in the next over, first coming down the field to lift him to the ground and then bowling him over square leg for six consecutive sixes.
However, another attempt at a slow sweep in Rashid’s next over saw Ervine hole out at deep backward square leg. Zimbabwe now had an 86-run lead in the first innings.
Afghanistan’s second innings got off to a frenetic start. Abdul Malik excelled in a full delivery and took it to the gully where Curran dropped it, before a vociferous plea from Ngarava, who brought the ball to Malik’s outside edge, was rejected.
In the next over, Muzarabani got an edge from Malik, with the ball reaching mid-on. In the eighth over, Muzarabani struck again, as Hassan Riaz stepped up to make the score 18 for 2.
Shahidi and Rahmat Shah, two centurions in the last match, then tried to avoid the bowlers but Raza gave Zimbabwe a late boost with a beautiful attack that glided towards mid-on before spinning beyond the outside edge and crashing. stump, removing the Afghanistan captain in the penultimate over of the day.
Abhimanyu Bose is Deputy Editor of ESPNcricinfo
