Harare, Zimbabwe—Zimbabwe finished Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in a dominant position, leading by three runs with eight wickets still in hand. A stellar five-wicket haul from seamer Brad Evans in his return to the Test side was instrumental in dismissing Afghanistan for just 127 runs. In response, an unbeaten half-century from opener Ben Curran put the hosts firmly in control at stumps.
The commanding performance serves as a strong rebuttal to the ghost of their previous encounter, when Afghanistan produced a stunning second-innings comeback victory in January.
Evans runs riot on return
Bowling first pays off: After Zimbabwe's captain Craig Ervine won the toss and elected to bowl, his decision was quickly vindicated by the home side's bowlers.
Wickets in bursts: Pacer Brad Evans, playing his first Test in over three years, proved the chief destroyer for the Chevrons, consistently causing problems for the Afghan top order. He finished with outstanding figures of 5-22.
Muzarabani provides support: The returning Evans was well supported by Blessing Muzarabani, who chipped in with three wickets.
Gurbaz offers resistance: For Afghanistan, only Rahmanullah Gurbaz showed real grit, top-scoring with 37 as the visitors collapsed.
Zimbabwe batsmen capitalize
Resilient opening stand: Openers Ben Curran and Nick Welch built a solid foundation for Zimbabwe. Welch was fortunate to get a second chance when a wicket taken off a no-ball was overturned.
Curran anchors the innings: Following Welch's departure, Curran continued to play positively, reaching his half-century and remaining not out at the close of play on 52.
Taylor provides support: Veteran batsman Brendan Taylor joined Curran and was unbeaten on 18 at stumps, building on the strong platform.
Afghanistan missing key players
The task was made even more challenging for the visitors without the services of their experienced star players, Rahmat Shah and Rashid Khan, who did not feature in the one-off Test. Both played crucial roles in Afghanistan's previous victory over Zimbabwe in January.
Reflecting on the past
The strong Day 1 showing by Zimbabwe has drawn comparisons to the last Test between these two sides in Bulawayo in January. On that occasion, Afghanistan was similarly on the back foot after the first innings but fought back valiantly to steal a victory. This time around, Zimbabwe will be wary of complacency and determined to close out the match to avoid a repeat of history.
