History in Bangladesh! Shah creates record on first outing as Afghan Test captain

Rahmat Shah made history on his first outing as Afghanistan’s Test captain, scoring a century against Bangladesh in the one-off Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. His 105-run knock made him the first Afghan cricketer to score a hundred on his Test captaincy debut.

Shah, who took over as Afghanistan’s Test and ODI captain from Hashmatullah Shahidi in July, faced 216 balls and struck 10 fours and two sixes. However, his effort was not enough to prevent Afghanistan from falling behind Bangladesh in the first innings. After Bangladesh posted 346 runs, Afghanistan were bowled out for 240, giving their opponents a 106-run lead.

Opener Abdul Malik contributed 62 off 120 balls, while wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil scored 32 from 103 deliveries. Shah remained the mainstay of the innings as the other batters struggled against Bangladesh’s bowling attack.

Hasan Mahmud delivered an outstanding performance, taking a hat-trick and finishing with five wickets. He became the first Bangladesh fast bowler to achieve a Test hat-trick and only the third player from the country to reach the milestone.

Before Mahmud, Alok Kapali took a hat-trick against Pakistan in 2003, while Sohag Gazi achieved the feat against New Zealand in 2013. Mahmud also reached 50 Test wickets during the innings, becoming the fastest Bangladesh fast bowler to reach the milestone. He dismissed Yamin Ahmadzai, who was out for a duck, to complete his five-wicket haul. Fellow pacer Ebadot Hossain also played a key role, taking four wickets as Afghanistan were dismissed for 240.

Earlier, Bangladesh scored 346 in their first innings, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim leading the way with 83 runs. Shadman Islam added 67, while Litton Das contributed 53 to strengthen the team’s total.

For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem Safi took four wickets, Yamin Ahmadzai claimed three, Ismat Alam picked up two and Qais Ahmad finished with one. Despite Shah’s historic century, Bangladesh finished the first innings in control with a 106-run advantage.