zimbabwe Drawn with 142 for 4 (Curran 41, Williams 35*, Zaheer 2-43) and 586 for 4 (Williams 154, Bennett 110*, Erwin 104, Ghazanfar 3-127) afghanistan 699 (Shahidi 246, Rahmat 234, Zazai 113, Bennett 5-95)
On the fifth ball of the 193rd over, Shahid went across the stumps while trying to do a lap sweep, but was hit by the ball in front. Next ball, Azmatullah Umarzai hit a ball behind to Bennett, who was left on the hat-trick. Bennett bowled a hat-trick ball to Shahidullah to start the 195th over, but the batsman lofted it to deep point.
But Williams had Zia-ur-Rahman caught for 5 in the next over as substitute fielder Tadivanashe Marumani took a brilliant catch running ahead of long-on. After this AM Ghazanfar hit Bennett for a six, due to which Bennett again reached the hat-trick. Ghazanfar swung at long-on, while Navid Zadran bottom-edged it onto the stumps. But Bennett was denied again, as Zaheer Khan kept one out safely. However, on the next ball, Bennett trapped Zaheer and completed his five wickets by completing Afghanistan’s innings.
Zimbabwe’s second innings began in the afternoon session, with enough time left for a surprise result. Perhaps seeing Zimbabwe’s spinners getting help from the surface, Afghanistan asked Ghazanfar to share the new ball with Navid Zadran. But Ben Curran led Zimbabwe’s counter-attack as he scored 32 runs in the first five overs.
It consisted of four fours, including three off Ghazanfar’s ball. Curran gave away four runs each by slashing, sweeping and swinging the offspinner, even as Joylord Gambi, making a more patient start, hit a four. After this, Naveen, Zia-ur-Rahman, Umarzai and Zaheer Khan stopped Zimbabwe’s momentum, although Zimbabwe did not get any wicket till tea.
However, Zia and Zaheer got turns, and after several LBW appeals against Gamby were rejected, Zaheer finally got an edge to Gambi to slip. A length ball around the sixth stump showed signs of turning inside and Gambi only stepped forward to take the outside edge. The opening partnership of 73 runs was broken, but after one ball the players were out due to rain.
This break lasted for about 40 minutes, but it had no effect on Afghanistan. Curran was run out for 41 on the third ball of the innings when he tapped Jiah towards midwicket and set out for a run. But his teammate Takudzwanashe Kaitano seemed to have been ruled out for a single too late, and Shahidullah’s throw found Curran just short of the keeper’s edge.
In the next over, Caetano tried to paddle sweep Zaheer, who was bowling around the wicket. The ball landed on full length on middle, and did not appear to be turning, as Caetano missed his sweep attempt, which looked a little too long. But the most aesthetically pleasing dismissal came when Ghazanfar clean bowled Dion Myers in the 25th over.
He turned one inside out and pitched it full on middle and outside off to pull the batsman forward. Myers tried to defend the line of the ball, but it went away to clear the off stump. At that time, Zimbabwe’s score was 88 runs for 4 wickets and they were still behind Afghanistan, who were smelling a miracle. But the experienced Williams and Erwin added 54 runs in less than ten overs to take their team to safety.
He put Zimbabwe ahead of Afghanistan at the start of the 30th over, when Erwin drilled Zaheer through cover, and the batsmen scored four runs. Afghanistan’s spinners had plenty of footwork to work with, but could not attack further, as the game ended in a draw and the two-match series remained tied at 0–0.
Himanshu Agarwal is sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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