Bennett ton, lower-order resistance put Zimbabwe on top

Zimbabwe strengthened their position in the first Test against Afghanistan by posting 504 in their first innings, but Afghanistan responded with a promising batting effort to reach 113 for 1 at stumps on the second day in Sharjah. Sediqullah Atal and Rahmanullah remained unbeaten on 55 and 50 respectively, bringing down the deficit to 391 runs.

Resuming on 326 for 5, Zimbabwe added 178 runs to their overnight total, with Brian Bennett completing a century on his Test captaincy debut. Having begun the day unbeaten on 71, Bennett went on to score 128 off 206 deliveries, striking 11 fours. He shared a valuable 96-run stand for the sixth wicket with Wessly Madhevere, who contributed 54 off 70 balls, as Zimbabwe moved past the 350-run mark and consolidated their position.

Bennett eventually fell to Qais Ahmad at 437 when he miscued a slog, bringing an end to a patient innings that lasted 362 minutes. Zimbabwe continued to add useful runs through the lower order, with wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga making 44 and Graeme Cremer remaining unbeaten on 34. For Afghanistan, Qais picked up 3 for 82, while Mohammad Saleem also finished with three wickets.

Afghanistan had an early setback in their reply when Abdul Malik fell for 2 to Newman Nyamhuri, leaving them at 14 for 1. However, Atal and Rahmanullah ensured there were no further blemishes.

Atal brought up his half-century off 101 deliveries, while debutant Rahmanullah reached the milestone in 78 balls, providing some momentum to the innings. The pair settled in in the final session and added 99 runs for the unbroken second-wicket partnership that took Afghanistan to a decent total at the close.