Afghanistan needed just 10 Tests to post their maiden 600-plus total, as they broke a host of records against Zimbabwe
699 Afghanistan’s total against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo is their highest in the format, bettering the 545 for 4 they posted in 2021, also against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi.
10 Test matches that Afghanistan needed to post their maiden 600-plus total, the fewest among the ten teams with a 600-plus total in this format. The previous fewest was by Pakistan, who made 657 for 8 against West Indies in 1958, their 19th match.
Afghanistan’s Maiden 600!
Fewest matches for their first 600+ test total
| Afghanistan | 2018 | 10 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 1952 | 19 | 1958 |
| West Indies | 1928 | 27 | 1948 |
| Sri Lanka | 1982 | 75 | 1997 |
| Bangladesh | 2000 | 76 | 2013 |
| Australia | 1877 | 120 | 1925 |
| England | 1877 | 130 | 1928 |
| South Africa | 1889 | 164 | 1966 |
| India | 1932 | 166 | 1979 |
| New Zealand | 1930 | 206 | 1991 |
246 Hashmatullah Shahidi’s score against Zimbabwe is now the highest individual score for Afghanistan in Tests. Shahidi held the record with his unbeaten 200 against Zimbabwe in 2021. Rahmat Shah bettered it with his 234 in Bulawayo before Shahidi claimed his record.
5 Players to convert their first two centuries into double-tons in Test cricket: Wally Hammond, Rohan Kanhai, Zaheer Abbas, Vinod Kambli and now Shahidi.
95 Overs batted by Rahmat and Shahidi on the third day in Bulawayo, the third-most by a pair to have played throughout a day’s play in Men’s Tests.
Also See: Rain Stops Play as Afghanistan near Zimbabwe’s Total on Day 4
Batting Throughout the Day
Pairs to bat full day’s play in men’s tests (minimum of 90 overs/540 balls)
| Hobbs, Sutcliffe (ENG) | 3 | 664 | 283 | AUS | Melbourne | 1925 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson, Depeiaza (WI) | 4 | 546 | 307 | AUS | Bridgetown | 1955 |
| Mankad, Roy (IND) | 1 | 540 | 234 | NZ | Chennai | 1956 |
| Marsh, Taylor (AUS) | 1 | 612 | 301 | ENG | Nottingham | 1989 |
| Waugh, Blewett (AUS) | 3 | 556 | 288 | SA | J’burg | 1997 |
| Laxman, Dravid (IND) | 4 | 540 | 335 | AUS | Kolkata | 2001 |
| Rudolph, Dippenaar (SA) | 2 | 540 | 280 | BAN | Chattogram | 2003 |
| McKenzie, Smith (SA) | 1 | 540 | 405 | BAN | Chattogram | 2008 |
| Mendis, Mathews (SL) | 4 | 540 | 239 | NZ | Wellington | 2018 |
| Shahidi, Rahmat (AFG) | 3 | 570 | 340 | ZIM | Bulawayo | 2024 |
Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe faced 664 balls (83 eight-ball overs) against Australia on the third day’s play in Melbourne in 1925, while Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor batted through the opening day of the 1989 Nottingham Test, facing 102 overs (612 balls).
Zimbabwe also recorded their highest total in Tests during this game. Their 586 all-out in the first innings bettered the 563 for 9, which they made against West Indies in Harare in 2001.
The previous instance of both teams bettering their highest Test totals in the same men’s Test was in 1991 between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Wellington. India and West Indies did the same during the 1948 Test match in Delhi.
Australia and England bettered their highest totals from the first-ever Test in the following match in 1877 and did the same three years later in 1880 at The Oval.
A Rare Occurrence
Both teams posting their highest total in the same men’s test
| Australia (245) | England (196) | Melbourne | 15 Mar, 1877 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England (261) | Australia (259) | Melbourne | 31 Mar, 1877 |
| England (420) | Australia (327) | The Oval | 06 Sep, 1880 |
| West Indies (631) | India (454) | Delhi | 10 Nov, 1948 |
| Sri Lanka (497) | New Zealand (671/4) | Wellington | 31 Jan, 1991 |
| Zimbabwe (586) | Afghanistan (699) | Bulawayo | 26 Dec, 2024 |
364 Partnership runs between Rahmat and Shahidi for the third wicket. It is the highest partnership for any wicket for Afghanistan in Test cricket, bettering the 307 by Shahidi with Asghar Afghan for the fourth wicket against Zimbabwe in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Test.
It is also the second-highest partnership for any wicket against Zimbabwe in Tests, behind the 438 by Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara for the second wicket in 2004, also in Bulawayo.
21y 46d Brian Bennett’s age coming into the Bulawayo Test, the youngest to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test match. The previous youngest was Bruce Taylor, who was 21 years and 236 days old at the start of the Eden Gardens Test against India in 1965.
Bennett is only the second player to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in a Test match for Zimbabwe, after Paul Strang against Pakistan in 1996.
This news is sourced from [ESPN Cricinfo] and is for informational purposes only.
