ZIMBABWE seized full control of the once-off Test against Afghanistan on Day Two, riding on a maiden Test century from opener Ben Curran to build a commanding lead of 198 runs at the close yesterday.
The hosts, who began the day on 130 for 2, were eventually bowled out for 359, a total they would gladly have accepted after restricting the tourists to just 127 in the first innings.
The day, however, belonged to Curran, whose determined knock of 121 from 263 balls, including 15 fours, anchored the innings and secured a significant advantage for his side.
In his eighth Test for Zimbabwe, the opener not only achieved a personal milestone, but also became the first cricketer in the prolific Curran family — which includes England internationals Sam and Tom, and late father Kevin who played for Zimbabwe — to register a century in both Test and ODI formats.
Speaking at the close of play, Curran said: “I'm sure they'll just be really pleased for me.”
Regarding the state of the match, he added, “We'd like to have had more runs on the board, but I think if you offer us this position end of Day Two at the start of the game, we'll definitely take it with both hands.”
Zimbabwe’s progress was momentarily tested early in the day when Brendan Taylor (32) was the first to depart with the score at 154, and captain Craig Ervine quickly followed for 5, leaving the scoreboard at a nervous 165 for 4.
However, Curran found an able partner in Sikandar Raza, and the pair consolidated the innings with a crucial 99-run partnership.
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Raza played a typically aggressive role, contributing 65 runs from just 88 balls before his dismissal left the score at 264 for 5.
The tail then offered some valuable resistance, with Brad Evans playing an important late cameo, striking 35 runs from 48 balls before running out of partners. The innings total of 359 is the first time Zimbabwe has crossed the 300-run mark in an innings since their mammoth 586 against Afghanistan on Boxing Day.
While the day celebrated Zimbabwe’s batting performance, Afghanistan debutant seamer Ziaur Rahman had a memorable, if exhausting, outing with the ball.
Rahman fought a lone battle, finishing with impressive and record-breaking figures of 7 for 99. The seamer added five wickets to the two he took on Day One, claiming the scalps of Taylor, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga on the second day.
With a lead of 232 after their innings, Zimbabwe wasted no time in making an impact in Afghanistan’s second innings. Opening bowler Richard Ngarava quickly removed opener Abdul Malik for 2, caught by Blessing Muzarabani, before stumps were drawn.
Zimbabwe’s total dominance puts them firmly in the driver’s seat heading into Day Three, though Curran was cautious, noting the need for patience.
“Coming tomorrow, it's going to be a hard grind, of course, so they're definitely going to come back hard. It's one of those; we just need to be patient. Test cricket is always going to have ebbs and flows, so we just have to be patient and hopefully, we'll reap the rewards tomorrow,” he said.
