Bangladesh 317/8 v Afghanistan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium; Day 2 set for Oct 10
Bangladesh were 317 for 8 at stumps against Afghanistan in the one-off Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday; Day 2 is scheduled to begin at 6 am GMT on Saturday, October 10. Overnight batters Nayeem Hasan (11 not out) and Taijul Islam (4 not out) held two wickets in hand while Afghanistan’s Mohammad Saleem finished the day with 3/70.
Bangladesh elected to bat and began strongly through openers Tanzid Hasan and Shadman Islam, who put on 124 for the first wicket. Tanzid scored 83 off 71 balls, striking eight fours and four sixes, and Shadman made 67 off 111 deliveries. After the powerplay platform the hosts lost momentum in the middle session and were 317/8 at the close of play in 84 overs.
Afghanistan’s bowling comeback featured contributions across the attack: Mohammad Saleem took three wickets, Yamin Ahmadzai claimed two (including Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim), Ismat Alam also took two and Qais Ahmad grabbed one. Ismat conceded 20 runs in 12.4 overs, including five maidens, as Afghanistan applied sustained pressure through the day.
Bangladesh’s middle order provided periods of resistance. Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 24 off 67 balls and shared a 62-run partnership with Litton Das, who scored 53 off 89 balls with four boundaries. That stand moved Bangladesh past 280 after the side had slipped from 184/1 to 225/5.
The sessional turning points saw Mushfiqur dismissed for a duck and Najmul Hossain Shanto out for 29 to pull the innings back into contention for Afghanistan. Saleem removed Litton Das, who was caught by Yamin Ahmadzai off Saleem, and then bowled Hasan Mahmud for two in the same over, hastening the late collapse to leave two wickets in hand at stumps.
Players reflected on the day’s events after play. Tanzid said Bangladesh “did well on the opening day, but also made a few mistakes,” noting he tried to play his natural game and assess the wicket rather than follow a pre-planned approach. Yamin Ahmadzai described satisfaction with Afghanistan’s fightback, explained a change of plan that targeted the stumps to dismiss Mushfiqur, and spoke about working on wrist position and angle with his coaches back home while crediting persistent effort over his 18 years in cricket.
Play restarts at 6 am GMT on Saturday, October 10 with the second new ball available; Bangladesh will look to add useful runs with Nayeem Hasan and Taijul Islam at the crease while Afghanistan seek the final two wickets before turning attention to the first innings with the bat.
