Day 1 – Session 2: Zimbabwe chose to field.
Current RR: 1.35
• Min. Ov. Rem: 48.2
Afghanistan, meanwhile, made five changes, which included debuts for Fareed Ahmad, Riaz Hassan and Ismat Alam
Rashid Khan was one of five incoming players into Afghanistan’s XI • Abu Dhabi Cricket
Toss Zimbabwe chose to bowl vs Afghanistan
After persistent rain and then a wet outfield delayed the toss by close to four hours, Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine had no hesitation in electing to bowl in the second Test against Afghanistan on what looked like a spicy surface in Bulawayo.
Ervine confirmed two changes in the playing XI from the opening Test, with legspinner Brandon Mavuta and fast bowler Trevor Gwandu making way for Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava.
“Overhead conditions suit the bowling. The wicket has been under covers for a fair amount of time, and we would like to use the conditions,” Ervine said at the toss. “We are hoping there is some moisture and some green grass, and we can make use of the conditions.”
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi also suggested he wanted to bowl first, admitting that the pitch “looks a little spicy.” He also mentioned that the visitors have made five changes to their playing XI from the first Test.
Out went Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, AM Ghazanfar, Naveed Zaran and Zahir Khan, with Rashid Khan, Fareed Ahmad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Riaz Hassan and Ismat Alam coming into the side. That included debuts for Fareed, Riaz and Alam.
With plenty of rain in the lead-up to the Test, and the surface being under covers, there could be some early help for the fast bowlers.
The opening Test saw record highs, with both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe getting to their highest score in Tests. There were six centurions across both teams, including two double-centurions, as the match ended in a draw.
Zimbabwe: 1 Joylord Gumbie (wk), 2 Ben Curran, 3 Takudzwanashe Kaitano, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Dion Myers, 6 Craig Ervine (capt), 7 Brian Bennett, 8 Sikandar Raza, 9 Newman Nyamhuri, 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Richard Ngarava
Afghanistan: 1 Abdul Malik, 2 Rahmat Shah, 3 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 4 Afsar Zazai(wk), 5 Rashid Khan, 6 Shahidullah Kamal, 7 Zia-ur-Rehman, 8 Fareed Ahmad, 9 Yamin Ahmadzai, 10 Riaz Hassan, 11 Ismat Alam
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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