Home Team Afghanistan were under pressure going into the second Test match against Zimbabwe but their batters have so far put them in a commanding position. They have the first-innings total to even beat Zimbabwe in this second Test and square the series. In case you missed it, Zimbabwe won the first Test by 10 wickets and are currently leading the 2-match series by 1-0.
During the first innings of the second Test, Afghanistan’s top-order rose up to the occasion to register their maiden 500+ total in an innings in Test cricket. Here are some highlights from Afghanistan’s batting from this innings.
200* – Hashmatullah Shahidi scored an unbeaten double century becoming the first Afghanistan player to get to these figures in Test cricket. Asghar Afghan (164) in this same innings and Rahmat Shah (102) against Bangladesh in 2019 are the only other centurions for Afghanistan in Test cricket. For your information, Afghanistan are currently playing their 5th Test match!
Best stand for Afghanistan in Tests – 307 runs
Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan and Hashmatullah Shahidi added 307 runs for the fourth wicket. Afghan contributed 164 runs while Hashmatullah contributed 119 runs for this partnership. This is now the best stand for any wicket for Afghanistan in this format of the game. Their previous best partnership was 139 between Ihsanullah and Rahmat Shah against Ireland in 2019.
545/4 decl – Afghanistan’s total in the first innings of the second Test match. This is the highest total for Afghanistan in an innings in a Test match. Hashmatullah Shahidi (200*) and their captain Asghar Afghan (164) are the biggest contributors to this total. Afghanistan’s previous best team total in a Test innings was 342 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2019.
307 – The number of runs added by Asghar Afghan and Hashmatullah Shahidi for the fourth wicket. This is the third-highest partnership for any batting pair against Zimbabwe in Tests. The 438-run stand between Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu & Kumar Sangakkara and the 313-run stand between Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq are the first and second in this list.
Highest score by a Test captain against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan scored 164 runs in the first innings of the 2nd Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in UAE. This is the fifth-best score by a captain against Zimbabwe in this format of the game, the highest being Wasim Akram’s unbeaten 257* in 1996 in Sheikhupura.
| Player | Score | Venue | Year |
| Wasim Akram (Pak) | 257* | Sheikhupura | 1996 |
| Marvan Atapattu (SL) | 249 | Bulawayo | 2004 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 191 | Bulawayo | 2003 |
| Marvan Atapattu (SL) | 170 | Harare | 2004 |
| Asghar Afghan | 164 | Abu Dhabi | 2021 |
Afghanistan who lost the first Test to Zimbabwe, have posted a daunting total on the board in the first innings of the second Test match. With Rashid Khan in the line-up, they surely should be going for the kill against the inexperienced Zimbabwean batting line-up. On the other hand, Zimbabwe are aware of an overseas Test series victory. They won’t easily give away the advantage they secured in the first Test.
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