Rahmat Shah’s courageous 139 and Ismat Alam’s unbeaten 64 put Afghanistan in a commanding position on day three of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
The pair’s 132-run partnership for the seventh wicket saw Afghanistan advance to 205/7, with three wickets still in hand, before rain brought an early end to the day’s play, according to ESPN.
On day two, when 13 wickets had fallen, Afghanistan had conceded an 86-run first-innings lead. However, by the close of play on Saturday, Afghanistan wiped out more than half of that deficit, despite losing three wickets in the process.
Rahmat Shah, with support from Shahidullah and debutant IsmatAlam, pushed Afghanistan’s lead beyond 200.
Although Blessing Muzarabani took two more wickets to add to his overnight tally of two and Richard Ngarava dismissed Rahmat, Zimbabwe face a daunting task.
With Alam still at the crease and Rashid Khan capable of scoring quick runs, Afghanistan are in a strong position to set a challenging target.
Zimbabwe will face a tough chase, particularly on a pitch where batting in the fourth innings is known to be difficult.
Afghanistan’s innings was built around two key partnerships. The first, a 67-run stand between Rahmat and Shahidullah, saw the visitors edge ahead to a 50-run lead before it was broken.
Rahmat’s determination was clear from the outset, as he played 19 balls before scoring his first run of the day.
Zimbabwe’s Ngarava dismissed night watchman Zia-ur-Rehman on the very first ball of the day and quickly followed up with the removal of AfsarZazai, but Afghanistan’s lower order has since built a strong foundation to extend their lead.
sa/mud
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