Spin misfires amid dogged defiance

Afghanistan did what had appeared impossible. They batted out 92 overs on the final day, losing five of their remaining seven wickets to draw the one-off Abu Dhabi Test yesterday. They would liken it to a win, but for Bangladesh, who had a day and a half to bowl them out with three frontline spinners at their disposal, the draw was a bitter disappointment.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has 272 wickets in 62 matches, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz has 225 in 60. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan, drafted in in anticipation of assistance from the pitch, has 48 Test wickets. Yet the trio managed just five wickets despite bowling in the fourth innings.

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Mehidy was the pick of the spinners, claiming four scalps, including three in the second innings that set up a chaotic final hour. But more was expected from a spin group that bowled 95 of 142 overs Afghanistan saw through in their second innings. Asked whether he was disappointed that the spinners had not done more, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto agreed.

“I really expected the spinners to come into this match because of the weather and the condition, but I think they tried,” Shanto said during the post-match presser.

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The pitch, as it turned out, became better for batting as the match progressed. The hosts lost three wickets on day four but returned with steely resolve on the final day, when the surface offered signs of cracking and rough patches to exploit. Afghanistan, however, showed their Test-match capabilities by countering the spin trio.

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Miraz flighted the ball well and reaped some rewards, but Taijul, apart from a missed stumping opportunity, rarely threatened. Eventually, 25-year-old Sediqullah Atal proved to be the difference.

Known primarily for his white-ball exploits, Atal opened the innings and faced 332 deliveries for 111, his maiden Test century. When Taijul finally dismissed him after tea, the game opened up. But Yamin Ahmadzai, whose first-class averages are in the 20s, batted out 85 deliveries in one innings and 80 in another to help Afghanistan secure a hard-earned draw.

The 142 overs Afghanistan faced was the third-highest total a team had negotiated to force a draw. Their resistance was remarkable, but Bangladesh’s missed opportunities made the outcome all the more frustrating. Two run-out chances went begging in the same over late in the day, Mominul Haque failed to take a half-chance at short leg, and Hasan Mahmud dropped a regulation catch at deep mid-on.

Yet the bigger concern will be the spinners’ ineffectiveness. They usually run through opposition batting line-ups when the pitch offers assistance. When it did not, they could not force a result that had once looked inevitable.