On the first day of the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan’s fast bowlers hauled their team back into the match with a three-wicket burst shortly before tea. Following Mohammad Saleem’s breakthrough earlier in the session, Yamin Ahmadzai claimed two wickets.
At the one-time Test at Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh chose to bat first on a dry surface after winning the toss. Tanzid Hasan put early pressure on the visitors by blazing away against the Afghanistan attack on his way to 83 off 71 deliveries in the opening session. When he let up 15 runs in the fifth over, Yamin Ahmadzai took the brunt of the aggressive hitting.
Shadman scored his eighth half-century with a smash past the covers off Saleem to start the second session. But the fast bowler had different plans. He threw short balls to the Bangladeshi batters, one of which hit Mominul Haque squarely in the helmet.
Just before tea on the opening day, Afghanistan’s fast bowlers put their team back into the match with a three-wicket blast. Following Mohammad Saleem’s breakthrough earlier in the session, Yamin Ahmadzai claimed two wickets. Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah made a straightforward catch after Ahmadzai caught Mominul in the covers for 39. Mominul made a feeble push, but the ball stayed on the pitch. Ahmadzai then used a brilliant yorker to bowl Mushfiqur Rahim for a seven-ball duck.
Ahmadzai said, “After the first session, the plan was that they were coming a bit aggressively and we were trying to just be in one channel and let them play their shots according to their plan, but we were not going to change our plan. Yes, exactly, I was working with my wrist position to get reverse swing. The wickets in Afghanistan are not very friendly to the bowlers. So every time you have to try something new”
In an attempt to force Mushfiqur into action along his natural line, Ahmadzai had bowled numerous deliveries on the fifth and sixth stump lines before to the delivery that removed him. Ahmadzai changed his approach with a straighter delivery that abruptly reversed when the batter refused to be pulled.
He added, “I have bowled plenty of my balls before this on the fifth and sixth stump, and I was trying to bring him to play in my line. Unfortunately, he was not doing that. Suddenly, I decided to go one straighter, and it reversed a bit, and I got his wicket. I was working alongside the coaches back home, and I was trying to build up this angle from wider of the crease. Most of the bowlers bring the ball into the batter from that angle, and I try to take it away from the batter.”
