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ABU DHABI. — Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams lauded the way his side fought back in their second innings of the second Test against Afghanistan even though they lost the match on the fifth evening, thus missing out on a series win.
After winning the first Test in under two days, Zimbabwe would have fancied their chances but a returning Rashid Khan thwarted their hopes with an 11-wicket match haul.
Still, Zimbabwe almost pulled off a Houdini-esque escape.
Following on, Zimbabwe were reduced to 142 for 7 — still 116 in arrears – before Williams (151*) and Donald Tiripano (95) added 187 for the eighth wicket.
Their resistance meant Afghanistan needed to bat again and score 108 in a minimum of 45 overs; they reached there in 26.1.
According to Williams, this Test would serve as a good learning experience for his side, especially when they host Pakistan for two Tests (and three T20Is) next month.
“We got ourselves into trouble and then we managed to fight through that,” Williams said after the match.
“We got close to the top of the mountain but didn’t quite get there.
“It was a good learning curve and it shows what mental and physical strength you need to get through Test matches like this.
“The young guys showed a lot of fight. Being 60 minutes away from winning the series, having one hand on the trophy and going through that fighting period was extremely important for them as a learning curve.
“Also, the senior players pulling the team together and showing that we would do anything for each other was important.
“I think it’s a huge thing going into the Test series at home. “Not only what has happened here but being at home is going to be huge, our wickets, our conditions. So yeah, I am looking forward to that series.”
When Afghanistan came out for the chase, the Zimbabwe seamers bowled plenty of short stuff.
Williams said that was part of the plan and if there were more runs on the board, they might have salvaged a draw and won the series.
“It was a tactical move because the wicket was up and down and there were a lot of cracks in it.
“It was very hard to score with seamers bowling cross-seam and slower balls. If we had more runs on the board, we would have won the series.
“We had three seamers, so going into day five in the last session, they would have pulled us through.”
While Zimbabwe impressed overall, Wesley Madhevere, who made his debut in the first Test, had a torrid time with the bat.
After a first-ball duck in his only innings in the first Test, the 20-year-old bagged another pair here. Williams, though, backed the youngster to come out stronger.
“With Wesley, it was purely a technical fault,” Williams said.
“But I think mentally he is in a good place and we just keep on supporting the guys to make it through the tough times.
‘’Everybody goes through a tough stage, be it cricket or life in general.
“We just keep on supporting, keep on growing, we don’t stop. We just told him not to give up.”
The Test In Numbers
596 — Balls Rashid Khan bowled in this match, the most by any player in a Test in the 21st century. These are also the most balls bowled by a player in a Test match since Muttiah Muralitharan’s 683 against England at The Oval in 1998.
187 — The partnership between Sean Williams and Donald Tiripano in the second innings. This is now the highest eighth-wicket partnership for Zimbabwe in Test cricket, surpassing the 168-run stand by Andrew Blignaut and Heath Streak against West Indies in 2003.
3 — Test matches that Afghanistan have won out of the six they’ve played. These are the joint-most wins for a team in their first six matches in Test cricket. Australia also won three of their first six games in this format.
5 — Lbw dismissals for Rashid in Zimbabwe’s second innings, the joint-highest by a bowler in an innings. Six other players have also managed this quirky little feat, with Saeed Ajmal against England in 2012 in Dubai, the most recent.
3 — Centuries by Williams as captain of Zimbabwe in four Tests. Only Brendan Taylor (4) has more Test tons as captain for Zimbabwe than Williams, while Andy Flower also scored three hundreds as a skipper. The unbeaten 151 by Williams is only the fourth 150-plus score by a Zimbabwe captain in Test cricket.
95 — The highest score made by a Zimbabwe batsman coming in at No.9 or lower. Tiripano is the new holder of this record, beating the 91 made by Andrew Blignaut in 2003 against West Indies in Harare.
Tiripano’s 95 is also the highest individual score in a follow-on innings while batting at No.8 or lower. Kapil Dev’s 89 against England in 1982 was the previous highest when he batted at No.8.
17 — Test debutants before Shahidullah who also got to be on the winning side without contributing a run, a wicket, a catch or even a stumping.
Shahidullah’s work in this match comprised five overs in the second innings for six runs. — Cricinf0.
Online Reporter