Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan, One-off Test - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Zimbabwe won by an innings and 73 runs

ZIM

359

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

That's it from this Test. Biggest Test win for Zimbabwe by runs and they surely will rejoice this. After long Zimbabwe played so many Tests in a year and most of them ended in losses but surely this one would have been enjoyable. In helpful seaming conditions, their pacers got it right and set it up for the batters. The batters thanks to the ton from Ben Curran showed no mercy either. And towards the end, they rolled over Afghanistan once again on day 3 needing a session and a half to wrap it up. Zimbabwe will take a lot of positives and Afghanistan will look to add experience to their Test line-up. And we will escape as we are done with this game. But there is no escaping the non-stop cricketing action. Switch tabs and absorb more cricket. Bye bye for now...

Craig Ervine | Zimbabwe Captain - I am ecstatic. Lot of credit to the boys for fighting hard. Winning the toss was first piece of the puzzle. The first hour was not good. But the bowlers fought back. Ben's innings was amazing. Very impressed. The wicket offered something throughout. Guys have learnt a fair bit over the last 6-7 months with the Test cricket that we have played. Obviously change in venue, the boys did well. Chivanga picked up a fifer. The bowlers were threatening and did well. It is very special. Earlier in the year, we won at Sylhet and we waited 14 years for that.

Ben Curran | Player of the Match: Delighted with personal performance. Thrilled with a win. Obviously coming back from injury that I had in England. Coming into a Test was a little under-cooked. I thank the batting coach. You got to make those changes if you want to succeed. Luckily it worked as well.

Hashmatullah Shahidi | Afghanistan Captain: First of all they played good cricket. The ball was seaming around. We didn't play good cricket. I wanted to bat first.The first hour we played well. But we collapsed after that. I think when we gave away back to back wickets, we didn't recover in the end. The less experience of playing Test cricket also didn't help. In Test cricket, day 1 is very important. It gives you momentum going forward. He is good and ready for the Test format. Hope he plays for long for Afghanistan cricket (on Zia-ul-Rahman, who played with him in domestic cricket).

13:25 Local Time, 11:25 GMT, 16:55 IST: Afghanistan haven't played a Test since the last 8 months and the rustiness clearly showed, especially with the bat. They fought hard with the ball, but the door had been bolted once they had been skittled out for a meagre 127 in the first innings. They didn't fare any better in the second dig either - a few starts, but you needed much more than that to offer a fight. Already 232 runs in arrears after the hosts racked up 359, the visitors folded away without much of a fight this morning. A couple of unlucky strangles to start the day, but it was followed by a procession of loose shots. Ibrahim Zadran's 42 was pristine, but you don't win Tests with a few 30s and 40s. Zimbabwe showed the value of a start on this wicket with Ben Curran's maiden Test hundred and their bowlers ensured that there was no second chance for the visitors. Five wickets for the impressive Richard Ngarava and the win was secured inside 8 sessions.

0 0 W 0 0 W (0 runs)

AFG 159-10

Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

0(3)

Yamin Ahmadzai

13(19)

Blessing Muzarabani

12-1-48-3

42.6

Muzarabani to Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, out Bowled!! There it is - another perfect yorker on middle-stump - Rahman backs away and can't get his bat down in time, the middle-stump is uprooted and Zimbabwe fashion a massive win, by an innings and 73 runs. Ziaur Rahman Sharifi b Muzarabani 0(3)

Muzarabani to Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

42.5

Muzarabani to Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, no run, another yorker outside off - Rahman backs away and gets his bat down in time, squeezing it out to the off-side

42.4

Muzarabani to Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, no run, yorker length delivery outside off - Rahman makes room on the squeeze and misses, Tafadzwa Tsiga goes up in an appeal and Muzarabani joins him, but umpire Adrian Holdstock shakes his head

Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, right handed bat, comes to the crease

42.3

Muzarabani to Khalil Gurbaz, out Bowled!! This was coming - Gurbaz was backing away every ball, it just needed to be full and straight - Muzarabani finds the block-hole now, the right-hander misses and his leg-stump is pegged back - Zimbabwe are now one wicket away. Khalil Gurbaz b Muzarabani 6(7) [4s-1]

Muzarabani to Khalil Gurbaz, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

42.2

Muzarabani to Khalil Gurbaz, no run, fuller length delivery and holding its line outside off - Gurbaz backs away, swings wildly and misses

42.1

Muzarabani to Khalil Gurbaz, no run, short and at the stumps - Ahmadzai makes room on the swing and misses

Blessing Muzarabani [11.0-0-48-1] is back into the attack

0 4 0 0 0 0 (4 runs)

AFG 159-8

Yamin Ahmadzai

13(19)

Khalil Gurbaz

6(4)

Richard Ngarava

13-2-37-5

41.6

Ngarava to Ahmadzai, no run, an effort delivery, short and following Ahmadzai as he backed away - he takes his eyes off on the swing and misses

41.5

Ngarava to Ahmadzai, no run, short and at the stumps - Ahmadzai backs away on the swing and misses

41.4

Ngarava to Ahmadzai, no run, a return catch and Ngarava has dropped it, came at an awkward height and he was on the followthrough, couldn't wrap his hands around in time, the ball dropping off his chest - back of a length and on off, Ahmadzai backed away and inside halved it back to the bowler

41.3

Ngarava to Ahmadzai, no run, short of a good length and well wide of off - Ahmadzai throws his bat on the cut and misses

41.2

Ngarava to Ahmadzai, FOUR, edged, and it flies over second slip, back of a length and climbing onto the right-hander, Ahmadzai pokes with hard hands and gets enough to clear the leaping Ervine