Afghanistan 425 for 2 (Rahmat 231*, Shahidi 141*) trail Zimbabwe 586 by 161 runs
Almost exactly 100 years since Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe became the first pair to achieve it in Test cricket, the Afghanistan pair of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi batted out a full day of a Test match without being dismissed. In the process, Rahmat became the holder of Afghanistan's highest Test score (231*), Shahidi struck his second Test ton (141*), and the pair comfortably broke the record for Afghanistan's best Test partnership (361). All in all, their addition of 330 runs across 95 overs on the third day has taken Afghanistan to 425 for 2, now only 161 behind Zimbabwe's 586.
Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo ranks among one of the best places to bat among Test venues, and Zimbabwe's first-innings score across the first two days suggested a placid third-day surface, which it was, barring the occasional ball that stayed low.
The Zimbabwe bowlers were made to grind by the strong defensive game showed by Rahmat and Shahidi, but they were also let down by their fielding. There were atleast four catches dropped, all off Rahmat, along with a few half-chances. Both spin and pace proved ineffective to get a breakthrough, and the set batters pounced on the loose deliveries from the inexperienced bowlers, a regular occurrence through the day.
Starting the day afresh from an overnight partnership of 31 and staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit, Rahmat took a single in the first over of the day to bring up his fifty. But some disciplined bowling from Blessing Muzarabani and Trevor Gwandu kept the run-scoring in check. It took 12 overs for the day's first boundary when Rahmat picked up one, by cutting left-arm spinner Sean Williams for four, and it would be a ploy he would use against all three Zimbabwe spinners. With no variable turn off the pitch, the pair could also trust their game when coming down the track against the spinners, something Shahidi did often against the part-timers Brandon Mavuta and Brian Bennett. Five overs before lunch, Shahidi brought up his half-century, and two overs later, Rahmat had completed his second Test ton.
Then came the first big chance in the 69th over with Afghanistan at 198 for 2 and Rahmat on 107. Bennett got a length ball to turn lesser than expected, Rahmat's prod brought an outside edge, and the ball flew past Craig Ervine's left at first slip. On 134, Rahmat survived a dropped chance at long-on, and on 152, escaped two catching opportunities in one Muzarabani over. In between, the pair brought up their 200 stand by finding the fence through midwicket or cover when Muzarabani and Gwandu overpitched their deliveries. And going into tea, Afghanistan were 298 for 2, with 203 runs collected in the first two sessions.
Fresh off the two dropped chances in the penultimate over of the second session, Zimbabwe were further deflated at the start of the post-tea session when Rahmat struck three fours off Nyamhuri in the first over after resumption. In the same Nyamhuri spell, Shahidi cut him for four to move to 99 and next ball, picked up a single to claim his second Test ton.
As the second new ball also turned old, the boundaries dried up again, but a four through cover from Rahmat to start the 108th over brought up the 300-run stand. When Rahmat moved to 199 with a single soon after, the partnership ticked over to 308, a new record for Afghanistan.
Shahidi, the only double-centurion for Afghanistan previously, then watched on from the other end as Rahmat joined him on that list, and it came not in the form of a circumspect single but a full-blooded drive through mid-on. As the ball trickled to the boundary, Rahmat was applauded by his team-mates and by the sparse home crowd as he also went past Shahidi's score of 200* from 2021 to claim the Afghanistan record for the highest individual score.
As the final hour of the day began, and it dawned on Zimbabwe that they might have their first-ever day of Test cricket without a single wicket, Ervine tempted the two batters with some unusual fielding positions - perhaps to buy a wicket or force them to do something different - but there was no budging.
If anything, Rahmat and Shahidi reined in their strokes. Only three boundaries were scored in the final 13 overs - only three fours and one six - as it was clear their aim was to finish the day unbeaten. As Williams bowled the final over of the day without much drama, Rahmat and Shahidi walked back with smiles, were congratulated by a few Zimbabwe fielders, and were welcomed with a standing ovation by their team-mates and support staff.
