Rahmat Shah unbeaten on 84 as Afghanistan reach 211/4 against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi Test

Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah was unbeaten on 84 and Afghanistan were 211 for 4 at stumps on Day 2 (10 October) of the one-off Test against Bangladesh at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, trailing by 135 runs. Play on Day 3 (11 October) had not been reported in the sources reviewed at the time of writing.

Where the match stands

• Bangladesh, first innings: 346 all out
• Afghanistan, first innings: 211/4 in 79 overs at stumps on Day 2, six wickets in hand
• Afghanistan trail by 135 runs
• Rahmat Shah: 84 not out off 186 balls, with eight fours and a six, according to Outlook India
• Ikram Alikhil: 26 not out off 91 balls

Rahmat was 16 runs short of a century at the close of Day 2.

Bangladesh’s first innings

Bangladesh resumed on 317 for 8 and added only 29 runs in the first session of Day 2, according to AFP’s report carried by Dawn. The last two wickets lasted 8.2 overs, and the innings ended on 346.

Mohammad Saleem took 4 for 82 and Yamin Ahmadzai 3 for 79. Ismat Alam finished with 2 for 20.

Rahmat and Malik rebuild Afghanistan

Sediqullah Atal fell for 17 and Shahidullah Kamal for 20, both to Bangladesh’s pace attack of Hasan Mahmud and Ebadot Hossain. Abdul Malik then added 70 for the third wicket with Rahmat.

Malik scored 62, his maiden Test half-century, with a six and four fours. Ebadot Hossain dismissed him with the score at 134 for 3. Five runs later, Hashmatullah Shahidi was stumped by Litton Das off Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a duck, making it 139 for 4.

Rahmat and wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil then put on an unbroken 72 for the fifth wicket. AFP wrote that Rahmat “stood tall on a dry and hot day” against probing pace and spin. Ebadot was the best Bangladesh bowler with 2 for 50.

A note on the figures

Dawn and Outlook India both give Rahmat’s score as 84 not out. Geo Super, carrying the same AFP copy, describes him only as unbeaten on “50-plus”. The 84 figure is used here. The match began on 9 October and is scheduled to finish on 13 October.

Sources: Dawn (AFP), Geo Super, Outlook India.