(Reuters) – Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan picked up his second 10 wickets match in test cricket to help his side beat Zimbabwe by six wickets for a series-level victory in the second test in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Afghanistan, which played their first test against India in 2018, chased a target of 108 against the African nation in the final session of the match to square the two-game series at 1-1.
The 22-year-old Rashid, who had won 11 wickets against Bangladesh in 2019, rose 7-137 in the second innings against Zimbabwe for an 11-325 draw. Playing their sixth test match, the Afghans posted a 545-4, their highest total ever, before captain Asghar Afghan declared their first batting.
That was built on the first double hundred by an Afghan player when Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 200 not out. The skipper made 164.
The Asian side seemed to get revenge quickly for losing within two days of the opening test when they dismissed Zimbabwe for 287 in the first inning and reduced them to 142-7 in the second after forcing the sequence .
But Zimbabwean captain Sean Williams, who stayed unbeaten on 151, and Donald Tiripano showed a fight to add 187 for the eighth wicket and help Zimbabwe avoid defeating innings.
Rashid broke the resistance with his sixth wicket of the pubs and denied Tiripano a pre-marriage test when he held it at lbw at 95 just before the lunch break.
Rashid also eliminated No. 11 batsman Victor Nyauchi before he scored, as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 365 in their second innings.