Atal helps defiant Afghanistan save lone Test against Bangladesh

File Photo | In a highly dramatic last day, Afghanistan’s lower order fought past persistent Bangladesh to draw the match. | Photo Credit: Getty

Sediqullah Atal’s marathon century and an inspired lower-order resistance led Afghanistan to a dramatic draw in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Opener Atal, playing only his third Test, batted for eight-and-a-half hours for his 332-ball 111 while number nine Qais Ahmad hit an unbeaten 49.

Having started the final day on 132-3, Afghanistan had to bat through the day, and it did just that by finishing on 346-8 from a total of 142 overs. This was after being set a target of 479 runs to win in the second Innings by ‘the Tigers’.

When Atal fell to a close-in catch off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam soon after tea, with the score at 281-7, Bangladesh was in sight of victory. But Qais and fellow tailender Yamin Ahmadzai (19 off 85 balls) batted for 110 deliveries in a valiant 45-run stand for the eighth wicket to resist Bangladesh’s spinners.

Even when Ahmadzai fell to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh had five overs to enforce a win, but Qais and number 10 Zia-ur-Rehman hung on, although not without drama. There were two missed run-out chances in the final session and a dropped catch, while Qais gave his teammates watching from the boundary some heart-stopping moments.

The leg-spinner mixed solid defence with a penchant for dancing down the pitch, even hitting the second ball of the last over for six. The Bangladesh players were less than impressed with Qais when he went down with an apparent hamstring injury and received treatment after playing a forward defence with 10 minutes remaining.

With a famous draw already secured, he hammered the final delivery of the match deep over midwicket for another maximum, falling to the turf in celebration.

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Bangladeshi pacer Ebadot Hossain took 3-50 and off-spinner Miraz finished with 3-73, but it was not enough for them.

Atal earlier reached his century with a boundary off Hasan Mahmud, becoming the first Afghan batter to reach three figures in the fourth innings of a Test. Hashmatullah Shahidi also scored 36 and helped Atal defy the Bangladesh bowling, but holed out to mid-on attempting a big shot down the ground, just seven minutes before tea.

Ismat Alam batted for 60 deliveries for his four, scoring his first run off his 44th delivery, before Miraz had him caught by Najmul Hossain Shanto.

With under two hours left, Bangladesh was finally rewarded with Atal’s wicket as the left-hander pushed a turning delivery from Islam and a thick edge was well caught at short-leg by Tanzid Hasan. But Ahmadzai, Qais and Zia’s heroics ensured the Afghans had the last say.