Image Credit- ACB
Afghanistan’s batting was spearheaded by Hashmatullah
Shahidi’s undefeated fifty-three, which left the Abu Dhabi Test in a precarious
position at day’s end. Afghanistan rallied to close the day with 134 for 3 in
their second innings, with a lead of 26 runs, after giving up a 108-run lead in
the first innings.
Ireland will be hoping that their spinners can have more of an impact on day
three, while Shahidi will begin his stand with debutant Rahmanullah Gurbaz on
Friday.
Ireland reached 263 thanks to a 52-point effort by Paul Stirling and four other
hitters who scored between 30 and 50. The velocity of Naveed Zadran and the
control of left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman prevented Ireland’s batsmen from
building on their early successes.
After zia wheeled away for 30 overs, Naveed took 3 for
59 while Zia returned 5 for 64, his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket
history.
In the opening over of the day, under overcast skies, Naveed had encountered
inconsistent bounce, while Zia, on the other end, had routinely ripped the ball
beyond the edge after it had drifted in towards the stumps. Naveed made his
overnight score of 32 when he got Harry Tector leg before wicket in the fifth
over of the day after he got a length ball to seam back in.
Then, with Ireland 49 runs adrift and five wickets remaining, Lorcan Tucker
joined Stirling. The tight lengths and spin-friendly pitch prevented Ireland
from getting away, even though a few boundaries gave the hitters some breathing
room.
But Stirling attacked Zahir Khan, a left-arm
wristspinner, with sweeps and pulls, and Khan was unable to hold the strain.
Now that the outfield was available, Ireland took the lead. The day’s first 19
overs saw 45 runs scored, while the next 7.4 overs saw 41 more.
By smashing an over-pitched ball from Zahir through cover, Stirling reached
fifty. However, Zahir was able to change ends in the last over before lunch. At
31, he tore one back from a fullish length, via bat and pad, to give Ireland
the lead back at Castle Stirling.
Afghanistan’s batsmen improved in the second innings
after folding for 155 in the first. Noor Ali and Ibrahim Zadran were able to
find spaces on the offside to balls that were not very long. However, Ireland
made the first breakthrough when Peter Moor made an incredible one-handed catch
at the gully off Adair. After Ibrahim steered a wide-length ball, Moor fell to
his left, reached down to grab the ball, and stood up quickly with it. When the
third umpire was brought in, he was certain that the catch was clean.
Then, shortly after leaving Afghanistan at 38 for 2,
Rahmat succumbed. Despite a few nervous moments, Noor and Shahidi managed to
stabilise the innings. In the eleventh over, Shahidi was even struck on the
glove by excessive bounce. However, the two dismissed Adair’s initial
seven-over session, which resulted in 2 for 23, and they went straight after
Theo van Woerkom.
The batters were put to the test by Young’s quick pace and McBrine’s fly and
dip, but they continued to rotate the strike. In the twenty-fifth over, Ireland
burned a review, but McCarthy handed them a break when he had Noor fight off a
ball that was somewhat short and skidded off the pitch to Adair at gully.
Gurbaz got off the mark and brought up Afghanistan’s
hundred by pumping McBrine over mid-on. He then flayed McCarthy over point to
take them into the lead. Shahidi laid into van Woerkom once again to build
Afghanistan’s lead.