Rahmat’s record powers Afghanistan’s strong reply to Zimbabwe’s 586

On By Littum

Rahmat Shah set a new Afghanistan Test record with an unbeaten 231, guiding his team to a commanding 425-2 at the end of day three of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Saturday.

Shah partnered captain Hashmatullah Shahidi in a monumental 361-run stand as Shahidi ended the day on 141, his second Test century.

Starting the day at 95-2, Afghanistan quickly rose to 425-2 with Zimbabwe’s six-man attack unable to make any breakthroughs.

This marked just the 26th instance of a wicketless day in the history of Test cricket, with the most recent occurrence being in the 2019 match between England and the West Indies.

Shah’s 416-ball innings included three sixes and 23 fours, surpassing the previous best Afghan individual score of 200* set by Shahidi against Zimbabwe in 2020. His previous highest score was 102 against Bangladesh in 2019, the first Test century ever for Afghanistan.

A solid partner, Shahidi faced 276 balls and hit 16 fours, reaching his century with a pull shot to fine leg. Zimbabwe, who have posted a record 586 in their first innings, have a 161-run lead as Afghanistan enter day four.

The Zimbabwe attack, which lacked consistency, saw medium pacer Trevor Gwandu take a wicket but concede 86 runs.

Afghanistan won both the T20 and ODI series ahead of this Test series, which starts on January 2.

Zimbabwe highest total in Tests ever

On Friday, Zimbabwe set a new Test record with their highest ever total, amassing 586 runs in 135.2 overs during their first innings.

Sean Williams led the charge with a brilliant 154 off 174 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes. He was well supported by Craig Ervine, who scored 104 from 176 balls, and Brian Bennett, who remained unbeaten on 110 from 124 deliveries.

Ben Curran, on his Test debut, also contributed with a solid 68 off 74 balls while opening the batting.

This remarkable effort surpassed Zimbabwe’s previous highest total of 563/9 achieved in 2001 against the West Indies in Harare.

Short results:

Zimbabwe: 586 in 135.2 overs (Sean Williams 154, Brian Bennett 110*, Craig Ervine 104, Ben Curran 68; Allah Ghazanfar 3-127)

Afghanistan: 425-2 in 125 overs (Rahmat Shah 231*, Hashmatullah Shahidi 141*)