Rashid Khan`s 6 Wicket Haul Made Zimbabwe Suffer
Rashid Khan’s six-wicket haul highlighted a dominant day for Afghanistan, who will enter the fifth and final day requiring only two more wickets to clinch the match and the series against Zimbabwe. Following that, Rashid showcased his magic as he dismantled the Zimbabwean batting lineup. Although Zimbabwe displayed resilience with a determined fifth-wicket partnership between captain Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza, Afghanistan ultimately positioned themselves for victory at the end of the day.
Zimbabwe began their pursuit of 278 runs brightly. Ben Curran managed two late cuts, helping Zimbabwe to score 12 runs off Fareed Ahmad’s opening over. They added seven runs in the next over before the Afghanistan bowlers regained their discipline and reduced the flow of runs. While some movement was evident with the new ball, the fast bowlers struggled to pose a real threat to the Zimbabwean openers.
Spin was brought into play in the tenth over by introducing Zia-ur-Rehman, and the left-arm spinner made an impact in his third over. Joylord Gumbie reverse-swept him for four off the first delivery, but when he attempted to reverse-sweep again, he ended up gloving the ball to first slip.
From that point on, it was Rashid’s moment to shine for Afghanistan. He first induced Curran’s wicket by getting one to turn in from the rough outside off stump. Over the next 37 deliveries, Zimbabwe could only manage 14 runs, with Takudzwanashe Kaitano relieving some of the pressure by pulling Fareed for a six over backward square leg.
Rashid switched ends and forced a top edge from Kaitano as he aimed for a sweep, leading to Abdul Malik taking a catch down the leg side, granting Zimbabwe another wicket just before tea.
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In the third over of the final session, Dion Myers cut at a wide delivery from Rashid and thick-edged it for four, but Rashid quickly responded by trapping him lbw with a wrong’un, marking his 400th international wicket.
At 99 for 4, Zimbabwe faced a difficult situation, but Raza and Ervine, the experienced duo, worked together to frustrate Afghanistan with a 58-run partnership. They were cautious and kept the scoreboard moving with numerous singles, hitting only one boundary during their 19-over stand.
Rashid eventually broke through, although it was not due to his bowling. Raza, who had been watchful until then, was lured into a drive by a half-volley outside off, failing to clear the cover fielder, which left him visibly frustrated.
Sean Williams, who was dealing with a back injury from the first day of the Test, soon became Rashid’s next target, as he got one to turn sharply in from the rough outside off stump, crashing into off stump while Williams missed a sweep. This marked Rashid’s fifth Test five-wicket haul in just eight matches. Moments later, he bowled a quick, flat legbreak that spun past Brian Bennett’s outside edge to hit off stump.
In the following over, Zia managed to trap Newman Nyamhuri, causing Zimbabwe to lose three wickets in just seven balls, still 100 runs away from their target.
Ervine continued to fight for Zimbabwe, hitting Rashid for a couple of boundaries on either side of the wicket in the next over before sending a shot over midwicket. He helped Zimbabwe surpass 200 with a cover drive and hit another boundary down the ground, thanks to a misfield at long-on that facilitated his second half-century of the match.
Shortly thereafter, Zimbabwe’s No. 10 Richard Ngarava was seen pulling up while holding his calf, and as the light began to fade, it led to the end of play, with Zimbabwe still needing 73 runs and Afghanistan just two wickets shy of victory.
Afghanistan commenced the day with a lead of 205 runs and scored rapidly as Ismat and Rashid consistently found the boundary. However, Rashid was unable to evade a bouncer from Blessing Muzarabani, resulting in him gloving a catch to the wicketkeeper, which awarded Muzarabani his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Ismat continued his innings, striking three fours within four overs after Rashid’s exit, surpassing Ibrahim Zadran’s 87 from 2019 to achieve the highest score by an Afghanistan batter on Test debut. With Zimbabwe spreading their fielding, he had to temper his scoring pace, but alongside Yamin Ahmadzai, he reached his century and celebrated with a series of fist pumps. His excitement was justified after he was dismissed for a two-ball duck in his first international innings.
He was out for 101 after miscuing a pull shot off Muzarabani, following which Afghanistan could only add seven more runs.
