Delhi: On the first day of the only Test match being played in Sharjah, Zimbabwe has made a strong hold on the basis of a brilliant century by experienced batsman Brendan Taylor. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Zimbabwe cricket team has scored 326 runs at the loss of 5 wickets by the end of the day's play. At the time of stumps, captain Brendon Bennett is at the crease after scoring 71 runs and Wesley Madhevere is at 29 runs.

Taylor and Curran gave a great start

Zimbabwe made a steady start on a pitch suitable for batting. Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran made a partnership of 60 runs for the first wicket. Kaiya got a lease of life in the seventh over of the innings when Zia-ur-Rahman dropped his catch at fine leg. However, he could not take advantage of this opportunity and after scoring 34 runs, he was caught in the slip off the ball of Qais Ahmed.

Must read this also – IPL 2027: CSK will get 3 big benefits with the arrival of Liam Livingstone, tension of opposing teams will increase.

Brendan Taylor, who came to bat at number 3, opened his hands as soon as he came to the crease and played in excellent style against the spin bowlers. On the other hand, Curran played cautiously and gradually regained his rhythm. The two added 65 runs for the second wicket, before Curran was bowled by an excellent yorker from Mohammad Salim and returned to the pavilion after scoring 42 runs.

Bennett scored a brilliant century

After lunch, the Afghan team had to wait a long time for the next wicket. Taylor and Bennett took full advantage of the pitch. On this slow but turning pitch, both the batsmen played brilliant shots and moved the scoreboard forward rapidly. There was an excellent partnership of 137 runs between the two for the third wicket, which took Zimbabwe towards a big score.

Just after the tea break, Brendan Taylor completed his century in spectacular style. However, after the century, he looked a bit aggressive and while trying to play a big shot on Rahmat Shah's ball, he was caught at long-off. Taylor played an excellent inning of 131 runs in 168 balls with the help of 14 fours and 4 sixes.

Afghanistan made a great comeback, but Bennett took charge

After Taylor's dismissal, Afghanistan's bowlers soon gave two more blows on the basis of spin. Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar put some pressure on Zimbabwe by dismissing Craig Ervine (4) and debutant Antum Naqvi (9) early.

In difficult times, Brendan Bennett, who was captaining in the absence of captain Richard Ngarava, kept the innings under control. Bennett is unbeaten after scoring 71 runs on 128 balls. He along with Wesley Madhevere added unbeaten 39 runs for the sixth wicket, after which the first day's play had to be ended prematurely due to bad light.