Zimbabwe scored 504 and 523/5 in the first Test against Afghanistan and still could not win. Afghanistan answered the opening innings with 514 and never had to bat again, because Zimbabwe were still batting when play ended on 9 November.
| Innings | Score | Main contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe, 1st innings | 504 | Taylor 131, Bennett 128, Madhevere 54 |
| Afghanistan, 1st innings | 514 | Rahmat Shah 173, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 113, Atal 105 |
| Zimbabwe, 2nd innings | 523/5 | Ervine 206*, Madhevere 100*, Taylor 82, Naqvi 61, Bennett 58 |
Taylor and Bennett set the tone
Zimbabwe won the toss at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and chose to bat. Brendan Taylor made 131 off 168 balls and the captain, Brian Bennett, 128 off 206. Wessly Madhevere hit 54, and the innings ended on 504. Mohammad Saleem and Qais Ahmad took three wickets each, and Taylor, who added 82 in the second innings, was named player of the match.
Three hundreds in reply
Afghanistan matched them. Sediqullah Atal made 105 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz 113, and Rahmat Shah, their captain, took 347 balls over his 173 before the innings closed on 514. Newman Nyamhuri took 5/82 for Zimbabwe and Cremer 3/177. Ten runs separated the sides after two innings.
Ervine at 41
Taylor made 82 and Bennett 58 in Zimbabwe’s second innings, then Antum Naqvi, on debut, scored 61 and added 140 for the third wicket with Craig Ervine. Ervine finished unbeaten on 206 from 279 balls, with 23 fours and two sixes. At 41 years and 82 days he is the third-oldest man to make a Test double hundred, behind Eric Rowan and Jack Hobbs, according to the ICC.
Madhevere reached an unbeaten hundred from 108 balls, and the pair added 208 for the sixth wicket, the best sixth-wicket stand in Zimbabwe’s Test history. The ICC says Zimbabwe are the only side to pass 500 in both innings of a Test.
What the pitch gave
Zimbabwe ended on 523/5, 513 ahead. Across five days the match produced 1,541 runs for 25 wickets, and the bowlers on both sides had little to work with. The second and final Test starts at the same ground on 13 November with the series level at 0-0.
Scores are from the ESPNcricinfo scorecard and the ICC match report.
