Kabul – January 06, 2025: The Afghanistan National Cricket Team has put on an incredible all-round display in the 2nd test match to beat the hosts by 72 runs on the final day and secure a 1-0 series victory over Zimbabwe.
Five days earlier, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to field first on a rain-hit day. Afghanistan managed to post only 157 runs on the board in the first inning. Rashid Khan was the top-scorer for Afghanistan with 23 runs, whereas Rahmat Shah (19), Fareed Ahmad (17) and Abdul Malik (17) chipped in with crucial runs for the team.
In response, Rashid Khan (4/94) took four wickets, Yamin Ahmadzai (3/62) picked up three, and Fareed Ahmad (2/27) bagged two, while Zia Ur Rahman Akbar (1/32) returned with a solitary wicket, as the hosts were bundled out for 243 runs in their inning, taking a lead of 86 runs.
Afghanistan were reduced to 46/3 at the stumps on day 2 in their 2nd inning, but Rahmat Shah (139) and Ismat Alam (101) put on a match-turning 132-run partnership for the 7th wicket to get Afghanistan back in the game. Their 132-run stand is now Afghanistan’s highest for the 7th wicket in tests, breaking the record of 34 runs set by Ibrahim Zadran and Abdul Wasi.
Later on, Ismat Alam shared 38 runs for the 9th wicket with Yamin Ahmadzai (19), to help Afghanistan post 363 runs in their 3rd inning and give them a competitive lead of 277 runs going into the fourth inning of the game.
Rahmat Shah’s hundred was his 3rd in Test cricket and his 2nd in this series against Zimbabwe. Additionally, Ismat Alam converted his half-century into a glorious hundred on debut, becoming the first Afghan batter to do so. The previous top score for an Afghan batter on a test debut was Ibrahim Zadran’s 87 runs against Bangladesh in 2019.
In the fourth inning, AfghanAtalan, led by Rashid Khan's impressive bowling performance of 7/66, put on a fantastic effort to secure a remarkable 72-run victory in the second Test match and clinch a 1-0 series victory over Zimbabwe.
This marked Afghanistan's fourth overall victory in Test match cricket, having previously defeated Ireland (2019), Bangladesh (2019), and Zimbabwe (2021).
Rashid Khan (25, 4/94, 23 & 7/66) received the player of the match award for his incredible contributions in the second test match against Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Rahmat Shah was named Player of the Series after scoring 392 runs at an average of 130.66, which includes a double century and a century.
This also marked the end of Afghanistan’s all-format series against Zimbabwe, which included 3 T20Is, 2 ODIs, and 2 tests, with AfghanAtalan securing a 2-1 series victory in T20Is, a 2-0 victory in ODIs, and a 1-0 victory in Test cricket.