Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry surface in the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi. Tanzid Hasan blazed away against the Afghanistan attack on his way to 83 off 71 deliveries in the first session, putting the visitors under early pressure. Yamin Ahmadzai bore the brunt of the aggressive batting when he conceded 15 runs in the fifth over.
Afghanistan’s fast bowlers brought their side back into the contest with a three-wicket burst just before tea on the first day. Yamin Ahmadzai took two wickets after Mohammad Saleem broke through earlier in the session. Ahmadzai had Mominul caught in the covers for 39, with the ball holding on the pitch as Mominul played a half-hearted push and Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah took a simple catch. Ahmadzai then bowled Mushfiqur Rahim for a seven-ball duck with a superb yorker.
“After the first session, the plan was that they were coming a bit aggressively and we were trying to just be in one channel and let them play their shots according to their plan, but we were not going to change our plan,” Ahmadzai said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
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Reverse swing and wrist position development
Ahmadzai also took a sharp catch to leave Afghanistan into the tail, removing Litton Kumar Das in the last part of the day. The catch demonstrated his contribution beyond the bowling crease as Afghanistan worked to restrict Bangladesh’s first-innings total. Ahmadzai finished with figures of 16 overs, 3 maidens, 62 runs and 2 wickets at an economy rate of 3.87.
“Yes, exactly, I was working with my wrist position to get reverse swing. The wickets in Afghanistan are not very friendly to the bowlers. So every time you have to try something new,” Ahmadzai said.
Building angles from wider of the crease
Ahmadzai had bowled plenty of deliveries on the fifth and sixth stump line before the ball that removed Mushfiqur, trying to bring him into play along his natural line. When the batter refused to be drawn, Ahmadzai adjusted his strategy with a straighter delivery that reversed sharply.
“I have bowled plenty of my balls before this on the fifth and sixth stump and I was trying to bring him to play in my line. Unfortunately, he was not doing that. Suddenly, I decided to go one straighter and it reversed a bit and I got his wicket,” he added.
“I was working alongside the coaches back home, and I was trying to build up this angle from wider of the crease. Most of the bowlers bring the ball into the batter from that angle and I try to take it away from the batter,” Ahmadzai said.
