The great Abu Dhabi escape: How Afghanistan survived a session of madness
Test cricket rarely delivers drama as unhinged as the final session in Abu Dhabi yesterday. Four wickets were all Bangladesh needed to crown five days of toil, thirty-odd overs were all Afghanistan had left to endure. What followed was more an improbable comedy of errors and survival.
Balls kissed the timbers without the bails budging, fielders snatched at thin air, and routine run-outs turned into wild throwing contests. Through dropped chances and shamelessly theatrical cramp delays, Afghanistan held on by their fingernails.
Here's how things unfolded:
118.4 | The Atal wall finally falls
Taijul Islam ended Sediqullah Atal’s marathon resistance on 111 off 332 balls. A faint edge lobbed off the pad to Tanzid Hasan Tamim at short leg. Atal reviewed, but UltraEdge confirmed the nick, finally giving Bangladesh their long-awaited opening.
120.5 | The bails refuse to budge
Yamin Ahmadzai edged a Taijul delivery straight onto his stumps, but the bails stayed stubbornly in place. Litton Das and the close-in cordon stood frozen in sheer disbelief at the laws of physics betraying them.
121.1–121.2 | Two run-out chances thrown away
A dreadful mix-up left Qais Ahmad stranded, but Bangladesh threw to the wrong end before the bowler missed the stumps with Qais well short of safety. On the very next ball, another hesitant call nearly cost Ahmadzai his wicket. This time the throw reached the bowler’s end, but Ahmadzai scrambled home by millimeters after a tense third-umpire review.
122.4 | Qais survives
Beaten by Taijul’s flight, Qais lost his balance as the ball rolled off his pads towards silly point. Litton whipped off the bails in a flash, but Qais managed to drag his foot back in just in time.
126.3 | Another chance goes begging
Qais offered a sharp, airborne chance towards silly point, but the fielder could not make it stick. It was another reprieve for an increasingly adventurous lower-order batter.
130.5 | Hasan Mahmud drops a costly catch
Qais mistimed an aggressive heave off Mehidy Hasan Miraz, slicing the ball toward deep mid-wicket. Hasan Mahmud charged in, got both hands to the ball on the slide, and watched it spill out.
136.6 | Miraz offers late hope
Mehidy Hasan Miraz finally breached Yamin Ahmadzai’s defences. Playing at a floated delivery with hard hands, Ahmadzai looped the ball toward short leg, where Mominul Haque showed brilliant anticipation with a diving catch. At 326/8, Bangladesh had five overs to claim the final two wickets.
139.3 | Qais’s tactical cramp break
Qais suddenly collapsed onto the turf clutching his hamstring. As the physio spent four minutes stretching him out, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fumed.
141.2–141.6 | Two sixes to finish the madness
Qais danced down the pitch to clear long-off for six off Taijul, survived three defensive prods, and then capped the madness by slog-sweeping the final ball of the match over cow corner for another maximum. Falling just one run short of a half-century at 49 not out.
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