ABU DHABI: Sean Williams and Donald Tiripano saved Zimbabwe from an innings defeat and ensured Afghanistan will bat again in Abu Dhabi. They shared an unbroken stand of 124 for the eighth wicket, with Tiripano reaching his first Test half-century and Williams completing his second hundred in as many matches, Cricinfo reported.
The pair came together when Zimbabwe were 142 for 7 and needed another 116 runs to make Afghanistan bat again. Rashid Khan had just completed his fourth five-wicket haul in only his fifth Test, and was only one wicket away from ten in the match for the second time in his career.
Tea was still over half an hour away too, and Afghanistan seemed on the brink of a big, series-levelling win. By stumps, however, they had bowled a further 42.4 overs without taking another wicket, leaving questions hanging over their decision to enforce the follow-on.
Afghanistan have now spent 197.3 overs on the field in the space of two days, and Khan has bowled 79.3 of them. This, for a bowler who has made his name in the shortest format of the game, is a workload equivalent to nearly 20 T20 games back-to-back.
Forty-three of those overs have come in the second innings, with Asghar Afghan turning to his star legspinner repeatedly with successes few and far between at the other end. As the bowlers tired and the ball lost its fizz off the surface, Williams and Tiripano prospered, using the slowness of the surface to their advantage by reading the turn off the pitch.
For all that, Afghanistan remain favourites to win this Test match, with Zimbabwe effectively 8 for 7 with a whole day left to play.
The ball turned every now and then on day four and occasionally kept low too, but the surface remained good for batting throughout. Considering that, Zimbabwe will be disappointed with the bulk of their second-innings showing. They lost wickets in clusters with openers Kevin Kasuza and Prince Masvaure falling in the space of five balls in the morning session, Tarisai Musakanda and Wesley Madhevere falling in the space of six balls post lunch, and Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl and Regis Chakabva falling in the space of 14 balls as tea approached.
