Zimbabwe thwart Afghanistan’s victory push to hold on for draw

Zimbabwe thwart Afghanistan's victory push to hold on for draw

A late push for an unlikely win from Afghanistan was thwarted by Zimbabwe as the teams settled for a draw in the opening Test in Bulawayo.

The Test, heading for a draw, sparked some interest at the end with Afghanistan picking up a few wickets. However, the experienced duo of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine ensured that it ended in a stalemate.

Hashmatullah Shahidi and Afsar Zazai piled on the runs for Afghanistan, with the skipper bringing up his second double century and Zazai his third century in the game. While Williams ended the massive stand, Shahid carried on but was dismissed four short of 250.

An incredible collapse followed, with Afghanistan losing their last five wickets in four overs. Brian Bennett was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up five wickets.

Zimbabwe responded with a strong reply, but Afghanistan's late collapse provided an unexpected opportunity for a win. When Zahir Khan broke the opening stand, Zimbabwe were still trailing by 40 runs. After a rain delay, the hosts needed to bat out just 14 overs. However, Ben Curran was run out and Zahir and AM Ghazanfar struck once each, causing panic in the opposition camp.

Despite the pressure, Williams and Ervine stood firm, and the captains finally settled for the draw.

Brief scores:

• Zimbabwe: 586 (Sean Williams 154) & 142/4 (Ben Curran 41)
• Afghanistan: 699 (Hashmatullah Shahidi 246; Brian Bennett 5/95)