Kabul – November 9, 2026: AfghanAtalan produced an impressive batting display highlighted by three centuries and a determined effort with the ball throughout the contest as the first Test match between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe ended in a draw after five days of competitive cricket at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected
to bat first, posting 504 runs in their first innings. Afghanistan’s bowlers
worked hard to restrict the opposition, with Qais Ahmad and Mohammad Saleem
Safi claiming three wickets each. Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar picked up two wickets,
while Zia-ur-Rehman Sharifi and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi took one wicket
apiece.
Afghanistan responded with a
remarkable batting performance, scoring 514 runs before being bowled out to
secure a valuable 10-run first-innings lead. The innings featured three
outstanding centuries, with Rahmanullah Zadran making an impressive start to
his Test career, Sediqullah Atal continuing his excellent form and captain
Rahmat Shah leading from the front.
Making his Test debut,
Rahmanullah Zadran delivered a memorable performance, scoring a magnificent 113
runs to register a century in his first appearance in the format. With this
achievement, he became the second Afghan batter, after Ismat Alam, to score a
century on Test debut.
Sediqullah Atal continued his
remarkable run of form, scoring 105 runs to register his second consecutive
Test century. Captain Rahmat Shah was equally impressive, producing a
magnificent 173-run innings to record his fifth Test century and anchor
Afghanistan’s batting effort.
Among the other contributors,
Ikram Alikhil scored 40 runs, Qais Ahmad added 27 and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar
contributed 15. Rahmat Shah and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar also shared a valuable
92-run partnership for the eighth wicket, helping Afghanistan overcome
Zimbabwe’s first-innings total and take the lead.
Zimbabwe began their second
innings with a 10-run deficit and went on to post 523/5 before declaring,
setting Afghanistan a challenging task. Afghanistan’s bowlers continued to
fight for breakthroughs, with Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar claiming two wickets, while Mohammad
Saleem Safi and Abdul Malik picked up one wicket each. However, Zimbabwe’s
batters put up a determined effort, and the match ultimately ended in a draw.
Brendan Taylor was named Player
of the Match for his outstanding contributions with the bat, scoring 131 runs
in the first innings and 82 in the second.
The two teams will now turn their
attention to the second and final Test of the series, which is scheduled to
begin on November 13 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.