Series at stake in 2nd Afghan-Zimbabwe Test

Sharjah: Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will look to wrap up the Test series with victory in the second and the last match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The second Test gets under way on Friday with the series at stakes after the first match turned out to be a run fest and ended in a draw.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which holds the record for hosting the most number of ODIs, will host only 11th Test at the iconic venue. Out of the ten Test matches played at Sharjah, eight produced a result while only two have ended in a draw.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have played six Tests between them, winning and losing two each while two ended in a draw. The stats are even as so is the playing field.

The Sharjah turf is known as batsmen paradise while bowlers are seen struggling. It was proven once again in the last match in which a slew of batting records were broken.

Going by the stats, the match was the most bowler-unfriendly ever as both Zimbabwe and Afghanistan became the first teams to play in a Test with three 500-plus scores in three innings. It has never happened in Test cricket before and has only happened twice in all first-class cricket, in more than 60,000 matches.

More than 1500 runs were scored in three innings for the loss of 25 wickets across five days - which means 60 runs were scored on an average for the loss every wicket. Seven centuries and four fifties were scored by both the teams combined.

Returning veterans Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor led the Zimbabwe charge from the front. Taylor scored a century and a fifty in the first and the second innings respectively. He would have completed his second ton of the match had he been not run out while responding to his captain’s call.

Ervine became the third oldest player in the 149 -year old history of Test matches to score a double ton at the age of 41 years and 82 days. He also reached the milestone of 2000-runs in Test cricket. This is also the third highest total by a Zimbabwean batsman in a Test match.

24-year-old captain Bennett redeemed by making a century and a fifty in the match. Young Wessly Madhevere also smacked a quick fire century in the second innings.

Zimbabwe have a combination of youth and experience in their batting which makes it formidable in Test cricket. They will hope the old vines to deliver and guide the younger player through their experience.

All these batting records were made only because of the skill of batsmen but they were facilitated by the flat and dry pitch, which offered no help for spinners and pacers alike. They exploited the benign conditions to their advantage.

The match turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers. Zia-ur-Rehman became the most expensive bowler of Afghanistan in Test matches as he conceded 175 runs.

There was no respite for the bowlers of either side. Both pacers and spinners were seen struggling alike. The patches made by the batsmen on the pitch while scrambling for runs were made smooth with heavy rollers after the end of the play each day.

Zimbabwe’s Newman Nyamhuri was the most successful bowler of the match who claimed five wickets for 80 followed by the team-mate Cremer who also returned with a figure of 3/177.

Zimbabwe will bank on these two bowlers again, hoping pace spearhead Blessing Muzarabani can find some rhythm to assist his team-mates.

In the absence of Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's spin department looked weak. They could not produce the same magic they are renowned for. Pacer Ziaur Rehman, who conceded 120 runs in his 34 in both the innings combined and took just one wicket, can make way for Khalil Gurbaz. Khalil is likely to come into the fold if Afghanistan decide to go with an extra spinner in place of a pacer, hoping that pitch may offer some help to the spinners in the fourth innings.

He has played only one Test in 2025 and failed to take any wicket, conceding 54 runs. To try the bench strength, Afghanistan, who used eight bowlers in the second inning can give him a chance.