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Rashid Khan‘s career-best 7-wicket haul outshined Sean Williams‘s unbeaten 151 as Afghanistan registered a 6-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second Test at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday. With the win, Afghanistan also levelled the two-match series 1-1.
Zimbabwe skipper Williams showed tremendous skills and scored a fighting hundred. He was pretty well assisted by all-rounder Donald Tiripano, who smashed his maiden half-century to help Zimbabwe take a♊ 🌠107-run lead in the second innings after being asked to follow-on.
While Williams sta𝕴yed unbeaten on 151, Tiripa🔥no missed out on his maiden Test century by mere five runs.
Despite coming from a finger injury, leg-spinner Rashid bowled asꦍ many as 99.2 overs against Zimbabwe in the second Te⭕st and picked 11 wic🌜kets, including a seven-wicket haul in the second innings. It was also the second occasion when a bowler bowled that many overs in a Test match. In 1998, Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan had delivered 113.5 overs again🗹st England at The Oval.
Earlier, Zimbabwe were bundled out for 287 in their first innings against Afghanistan’s 545/4. The Asghar Afghan-led side rode on Hashmatullah Shahidi’s maiden double hundred to declare their first innings 💛at 545/4. Shahidi b𓂃ecame the first Afghan batsman to score a double century in the longest format.
Williams scored 264 runs in the series at an impressive average of 52.80. For the phenomenal performance, the Zimbabwe skipper was named ‘Player of the Series’. After the game, Williams reckoned that the first innings let them down in the second Test.
“I thought it was a fantastic series; winning a Test match in 2 days was a remarkable feat. Coming to this Test, our first innings let us down; we lost the series in 60 minutes. I commend the guys for the fight,” Williams said at the post-match presentation.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Brilliant effort by the boys in Blue winning test matc♏h is always special. Move on to t20 now . 🇦🇫🇦🇫🇦🇫
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19)
Congratulation to everyone Asghar and team
Specially to for Great series 👏🏻— Gulbadin Naib (@GbNaib)
Afghanistan has now won Test matches against…
– Ireland by 7 wickets at Dehradun on 18 Mar 2019
– Bangladesh by 224 runs at Chittagong on 9 Sep 2019
– Zimbabwe by 6 wickets at Abu Dhabi on 14 Mar 2021— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman)
Congratulations to team on winnin🌳g 2nd test match.Good Performance by Afghan Captain Asghar & what an amazing double t൲on and last but not the least brilliant bowling took 11 wickets.
— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23)
Donald Tiripano gets dismissed at 95. This means that the only 'Donald' to score a hundred in international cricket remains Donald Bradman.
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats)
//twit🐻ter.com/SoorajAyyappan🌌_/status/1371000427139899393
Rashid Khan has bowled more overs in this Test match (99.2 overs) than he bowled in the last two Big Bash 🌠seasons combined (94.2 overs).
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1)
//twitter.com/Oct7Libraဣ/status/1370996949290266624
| Day 5: MILESTONE! 1st Test 1️⃣5️⃣0🍸️⃣! Congrats Willo! �൩� | |
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv)
/ও/twitter.com/Tehseenreal/status/1370985901090820098
Afghanistan win the second Test by six wickets and level the s𝓰erie🔯s 1-1 👏
Who impressed you the most in this match? ➡️
📷 @AbuDhabiCricket
— ICC (@ICC)
The partnership between Sean Williams and Donald Tiripano is now the longest in terms of balls faced between a Zimbabwean pair for any wicket since Staurt Carlisl﷽e and Trevor ♏Gripper batted for 487 balls against Sri Lanka in 2002.
— Israr Ahmed Hashmi (@IamIsrarHashmi)
What a game in Abu Dhabi. Williams and 𓃲Tiripano have now put on 170 for the 8th wicket. And Rashid Khan has bowled 89 overs in the match!
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
After today’s century, Sean Williams now averages 39.5 in test matches- the fourth highest Zimbabwean ever trailing only Andy Flower, Have Houghton and Murray Goodwin. He av♊erages more than Brendan Taylor (35.4) and Sikandar Raza (35.9)
A gun captain 🇿🇼
— Adam Theo🇿🇼🏏 (@AdamTheofilatos)
