Afghanistan remove Shadman after posting 342
Afghanistan continued to apply pressure on Bangladesh in the one-off Test at Chattogram as the visitors posted 342 on the board before getting rid of opener Shadman Islam before lunch. Resuming at 271/5, Afghanistan lost the key wicket of Asghar Afghan early but skipper Rashid Khan chipped in with a crucial fifty to help his side post a fighting total on the board on a track that is likely to deteriorate.
Taijul Islam, who had picked up two wickets on the opening day, made the crucial breakthrough on the second morning when Afghan played a needless stroke to fall eight short of his maiden Test ton. Afghan fetched a delivery outside off and tried to smash it only to get a top edge. The wicket brought Rashid out to the middle who broke the shackles with a couple of sweep shots to fetch boundaries.
As Afghanistan nudged towards 300, they were dealt a massive blow once again with the other overnight batsman Afsar Zazai becoming Taijul’s fourth victim. Pitching around middle, the ball spun away to crash into the off stump to end Zazai’s 115-ball resistance. The wicket only gave Rashid more freedom to take on the attack as he smashed Taijul over deep midwicket for his first six. While Bangladesh continued to chip away at one end, Rashid survived a close call for leg-before-wicket courtesy of a no-ball and added two more sixes to his tally to bring up his maiden Test fifty.
After folding for 342 eventually, Afghanistan tasted instant success with the ball before the lunch break. The only side to pick a specialist pacer in the Test, Afghanistan opened with Yamin Ahmadzai who bowled an outswinger to get rid of Shadman off just his fourth delivery. The batsman was tentative in his approach and was in two minds as the indecisiveness cost him his wicket with the keeper taking a sharp catch. Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das batted through the next three overs without further damage but a massive challenge awaits post the break.
CHATTOGRAM, Sept 6, 2019 (BSS)-Bangladesh made a troublesome
start, losing
the opener Shadman Islam in the first over and went to lunch on day two with
precariously placed at 4-1 after Afghanistan posted 342 in the first innings
in one-off Test today at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here.
Shadman chased a delivery
well outside of the off-stump of pacer Yamin
Ahmadzai to give away his wicket for a duck in the fourth ball of the first
over before Soumya Sarkar and Liton saw off the rest of the overs before
lunch.
Earlier, resuming the day on
271-5, Afghanistan indeed added just 71 runs
to their overnight total before being dismissed 30 minutes before the lunch
session of day two. Most of the runs came from the willow of captain Rashid
Khan who hit his maiden half-century.
Rashid struck 51 off just 61
with two fours and three sixes before being
out as the last batsman.
Bangladesh however made a good start to the day thanks to Taijul
Islam who
removed the overnight unbeaten batsman duo Asghar Afghan and Afsar Zazai in
first 10 overs of the day.
Afghan added four runs to his
overnight total to be out on 92 while Zazai
was removed for 41, starting the day on 35. Earlier on day one, Rahmat Shah
guided Afghan innings, hitting maiden Test century for his nation. He was out
on 102.
Apart from Taijul’s four for
116, Shakib Al Hasan and Nayeem Hasan grabbed
two wickets apiece.
