Zimbabwe 504 After Bennett Ton in Afghanistan Test
Brian Bennett’s 128 and Brendan Taylor’s 131 carried Zimbabwe to 504 on the second day of the Afghanistan Test in Sharjah.
Afghanistan closed the day on 113 for 1 in 35 overs, trailing by a further 391 runs, with Sediqullah Atal unbeaten on 55 and Rahmanullah unbeaten on 50.
Zimbabwe resumed their first innings on 326 for 5 and added 178 more runs for their last five wickets, finishing on 504 all out in 134.3 overs.
Bennett and Taylor build the big total
Bennett, the Zimbabwe captain, scored 128 off 206 deliveries, hitting 11 fours. Taylor, the veteran batter, remained the side’s top scorer with 131 off 168 balls.
The pair built Zimbabwe’s innings after the side had lost early wickets on the first day. Bennett shared stands with all-rounder Wessly Madhevere and wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga, who made 54 and 44.
Lower-order batter Graeme Cremer pushed Zimbabwe past 500 with a handy 34 off 51 balls, including four boundaries.
For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem and Qais Ahmad took three wickets each. Zia-ur-Rehman claimed two, while Ziaur Rahman and Hashmatullah Shahidi took one wicket apiece.
Afghanistan Test: the hosts reply steadily
Afghanistan made a shaky start to their reply, losing opener Abdul Malik for two in the sixth over with only 14 runs on the board.
Rahmanullah then joined Atal, and the pair batted sensibly to put on an unbeaten 99-run stand for the second wicket, closing out the second day on a high for the hosts.
The partnership leaves Afghanistan well placed to cut into Zimbabwe’s lead on the third day, though the hosts still trail by 391 runs with nine first-innings wickets in hand.
Why day two mattered
The day belonged to Zimbabwe’s batters. Taylor had already reached his century on the first day, when Zimbabwe closed on 326 for 5. Feature Pakistan reported on Taylor’s century on day one, when the 40-year-old became the oldest Zimbabwe Test centurion.
Bennett’s hundred on day two completed the pair’s work, turning a strong position into a commanding total of 504. It was the first time in the series that Afghanistan’s bowlers had been made to work for so long, with the innings lasting 134.3 overs.
Bennett is leading Zimbabwe in Tests for the first time, having taken over the captaincy after Richard Ngarava’s injury. His hundred, his third in Tests, made him only the fourth Zimbabwean to score a century on his Test captaincy debut.
Afghanistan’s reply showed fight. Atal and Rahmanullah both reached fifties, and their unbeaten stand means the hosts have a platform to build on. But the size of Zimbabwe’s total means Afghanistan will need a long batting effort to stay in the match.
Test cricket elsewhere is following a similar pattern of long first innings. The West Indies built a big lead over Bangladesh in Sylhet, with Hasan Mahmud’s six wickets putting the visitors on top, while Shadman Islam was stretchered off with an ankle injury during the match. Sri Lanka also won their warm-up match against the PCB Patrons XI by 142 runs ahead of their Test series in Pakistan.
What is the score?
Zimbabwe made 504 all out. Afghanistan closed day two on 113 for 1, trailing by 391 runs.
Who scored centuries for Zimbabwe?
Brian Bennett scored 128 and Brendan Taylor scored 131.
Where is the match being played?
The first Test is being played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
What happened on day one?
Zimbabwe closed day one on 326 for 5, with Taylor reaching his century and Bennett unbeaten on 71.
