Lance Klausner’s face was saved this time! Before starting the two-match Test series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, the Afghanistan coach said that his team’s goal is to bat 100 overs. He wants to score more than 400 runs. But the Afghans could not bat 100 overs even after two innings. The Afghans were bowled out for 131 in the first innings and 135 in the second innings and lost 10 wickets. However, in the second match, the hosts turned around brilliantly. Hashmatullah Shahidi’s historic double century and captain Asghar Afghan’s 150th innings helped Afghanistan to a mountain of runs in the second Test.
Batting first in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan declared their innings at 545 for four. Zimbabwe finished the second day with 50 runs without wickets. The first match of the series was also held in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan turned blue with spin poison. The visitors did not bat well in the next match on that field.
The wicket in the second Test was completely different. The bowlers did not get any help from the wicket, which means to say full warranty wicket. The Afghans have taken advantage of that opportunity. Afghanistan started the second day’s play with 306 runs for 3 wickets. Asghar Afghan was unbeaten on 106 runs. Hashmatullah Shahidi started the day with 6 runs.
The duo did not give any chance to the Zimbabwean bowlers in the first half of the day. Asghar Afghan could have scored the double century. With a personal 164, Sikandar Raja lost that opportunity by falling into the lbw trap with a harmless one. In the innings of 256 balls, 14 fours and 2 sixes. The pair were 308 for the fourth wicket, naturally the best pairing for Afghanistan.
Later, Nasir went on to score a double century with Jamal. Afghanistan declared the innings after Hashmatullah completed 200 runs in 21 fours and 1 six off 443 balls. Nasir Jamal was unbeaten on 55 then.
Afghanistan scored a double century after playing Test number six with Hashmatullah’s bat. After getting Test status, no other team has scored a double century in less than that match. The West Indies also scored a double century in the sixth Test. Clifford Roach scored a double century in 1930 for the West Indies, which got Test status in 1926. That was the Caribbean’s sixth Test. Afghanistan got Test status in 2016.