CHEVRONS DOMINATE DAY ONE

Brandon Moyo in BULAWAYO

VETERAN all-rounder Sean Williams was at his best as he notched up his fifth Test century on day one of the historic Boxing Day Test between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at Queens Sports Club. 

The Chevrons ended day one on a commanding 363/4 after 85 overs when bad light stopped play. 

What made Williams’ century even more special was that it came at his home ground, in front of his home fans and family. 

The century arrived three years after his last, which, coincidentally, was also against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in 2021. 

It was his third century against Afghanistan. 

Williams looked settled from the moment he walked in to bat at the start of the second session, following the fall of Ben Curran with the last ball of the first session. 

He now shares the joint fourth-most Test centuries for Zimbabwe with Hamilton Masakadza, trailing only Andy Flower (12), Brendan Taylor (6), and Grant Flower (6). 

Williams was involved in two half-century partnerships and a century stand on a day that belonged to Zimbabwe. 

His first was for the third wicket with Takudzwanashe Kaitano (78 runs), followed by another steady partnership with Dion Myers for the fourth wicket (50 runs). 

He then had a 143-run fifth-wicket stand with the skipper, Craig Ervine. 

At stumps, Williams was closing in on 150, on 145 runs off 161 balls, and in the 80th over, he survived a dismissal after he was caught on the slips, but Zahir Khan had overstepped. 

Ervine will continue day two on 56 runs from 94 balls. 

Speaking at stumps, Williams dedicated his emotional celebration to his teammates, family, Bulawayo cricket fraternity, and his late father, Collin Williams. 

“The emotion is based around the team’s performance in the recent past. And also what I saw today from the junior players. I saw a lot of intent and improvement in just a short space of time. That goes to show the quality of the coaches we have in the changing room. 

“Boxing Day Test match is a historical day, and to be able to get a hundred on a day like this is a very big thing. Growing up, we used to wake up early to watch the Boxing Day Test cricket, and it’s finally here at home. So to be able to do that (score a hundred) is wonderful. 

“I love my family dearly. They were here, and to do that in front of them was special. Not only that but also for Bulawayo. Bulawayo has cried for cricket for a long time, and to give them something successful, it was huge, and obviously for my dad, he passed away a long time ago, but that was all part of the emotion,” said Williams. 

Meanwhile, it was a solid start to international cricket for Curran, who scored a half-century on debut, continuing with his Logan Cup form. 

Curran was one of three debutants named in the Chevrons side for the first Test and managed to announce himself in style. 

Opening the batting for Zimbabwe, who won the toss and elected to bat first, the 28-year-old son of the late former Zimbabwe international and coach, Kevin Curran, scored a well-played 68 runs. 

He became the 17th Zimbabwean cricketer to score a half-century on Test debut. 

Newman Nyamhuri and Trevor Gwandu were the other two debutants.

Curran and his opening partner, Joylord Gumbie, put up a 43-run first-wicket partnership before the latter was caught behind for nine runs off 30 deliveries. 

Curran was the next to fall in the 26th over, having faced 74 balls for his 68 runs. He was bowled by debutant AM Ghazanfar off the last ball before lunch. 

Williams joined Kaitano at the start of the second session, and the latter was caught by Sediqullah Atal off a Zahir Khan delivery, falling four runs short of his second Test half-century. 

Kaitano made a patient 46 runs from 115 deliveries. 

Myers was the fourth to fall after a decent start. He was caught and bowled by Ghazanfar for 27 runs off 37 balls. 

Williams would go on to stand tall, scoring his fifth Test half-century. 

Ghazanfar also had a good start to Test cricket as he was the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers. He ended day one with figures of 2/83 in 22 overs while Naveed Zadran and Zahir Khan picked up one scalp apiece. 

The series marks a momentous occasion for Zimbabwean cricket as the country is hosting its first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years. 

This game will be followed by Zimbabwe’s inaugural New Year’s Test, scheduled for 2-6 January 2025. 

To date, the country has hosted only one Boxing Day Test, when Zimbabwe faced England in 1996 in a drawn match severely affected by rain at Harare Sports Club. 

Since then, Zimbabwe’s only other Boxing Day Tests have been played away from home — against New Zealand in Wellington in 2 000 and against South Africa in the inaugural pink-ball, day-night, four-day Test in Port Elizabeth in 2017. 

Zimbabwe also played Sri Lanka in a Test that started on December 27, 2001, in Colombo. 

Zimbabwe has never played a New Year’s Test, either at home or abroad.

The two tests are free of charge to all spectators. 

Play resumes at 10am for day two.