Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Brandon Moyo, brandonmalvin9@gmail.com
ZIMBABWE’S wait for a Test match victory was further delayed following their 1-0 series loss to Afghanistan in a historic two-match series played at Queens Sports Club that ended on Monday morning.
The Chevrons lost the New Year’s Day Test match, which was the series decider, by 72 runs early on Monday, having drawn the run-fest first match where over 1 000 runs were scored on a flat wicket.
Their last Test match win remains the victory over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Following the series loss, Zimbabwe now sits at the bottom of the ICC Test team rankings, with Afghanistan jumping to position 11. The Chevrons have zero points and a zero rating while Afghanistan now have 112 points and a rating of 19. They are the only team with zero points and zero rating.
A green top was prepared for the New Year’s Day match, Zimbabwe’s first either at home or abroad.
Despite having firm control of the match heading into day three, the Chevrons squandered a golden opportunity to win, with Rashid Khan spinning Afghanistan to victory with career-best figures of 7/66 in the game’s second innings.
Poor batting and over-reliance on senior players were, once again, the order of the day for the Chevrons, with youngsters failing to step up in the second match.
An injured Sean Williams, captain Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza were left to do all the work with the bat for the Chevrons, receiving minimal support from the other batters.
Zimbabwe, who won the toss and elected to field first, failed to capitalise on their early advantage after bowling Afghanistan out for 157 runs in just 44.3 overs.
They could only establish an 86-run lead going into the second innings, with Ervine and Raza scoring half-centuries, while Williams, nursing a back injury, chipped in with an invaluable 49 runs that helped take Zimbabwe to 243 all out in 73.3 overs.
Just like in the first game, Zimbabwe failed to take their chances and were made to pay the price by the visitors. On the morning of day three, the Chevrons had Afghanistan reeling at 69/5 before two centuries from Rahmat Shah and debutant, Ismat Alam, swung the game in the visitors’ favour.
Shah was earlier dropped on 47 and went on to finish his innings on 139 runs, complementing Alam’s maiden Test century to help their side reach 363 in 113.5 overs. They set a target of 278 runs for the hosts, who crumbled to 205 all out in 68.3 overs.
There was nothing to write home about from Zimbabwe’s batting display, save for Ervine’s 53 runs, as the captain was the only one who put up a fight against Afghanistan’s spin attack.
It only took Afghanistan 13 minutes and 15 balls to wrap up the match on the morning of day five.
Ervine acknowledged that they let the match – and effectively the series – slip away from them from a commanding position.
“There were definitely times in the game we could have capitalised properly, but we couldn’t. We could have pushed that first-innings lead further. There were certain areas where we could have done better. Afghanistan played much better than us. Going back to the first innings, getting them out for 150-odd that was our opportunity to get above 300-350 and grow that lead. A lot of credit needs to go to Rahmat and Izmat, who brought the team back and then Rashid with a seven-for – that was outstanding,” said Ervine.
Despite the repeated poor batting and over-reliance on the seniors to save the day, there was something to smile about for Zimbabwe with the ball, as Blessing Muzarabani picked up his maiden Test five-for in the second innings.
In the match’s second innings, the lanky fast bowler finished with career-best figures of 6/95 in 29 overs, having taken three wickets in the first innings.
With the Logan Cup and Pro50 Championship matches having resumed, it is now back to domestic cricket as they begin their preparations for their next series against Ireland.
Zimbabwe will host Ireland for an all-format tour, starting with a one-off Test match at Queens Sports Club on February 6 before action moves to Harare for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and as many T20Is, kicking off a busy year for the Chevrons.
“Franchise cricket for the next few weeks and after that, maybe the players will come back and go into camp a week before the next series,” said Ervine. —@brandonmalvin
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