Brian Bennett, Ervine score centuries as Zimbabwe lead Afghanistan by 491 runs

BULAWAYO: Captain Craig Ervine and Brian Bennett both scored centuries on Friday as Zimbabwe amassed a massive 586 runs on the second day of the first test against Afghanistan at the Queens Sports Club.

Afghanistan were 95 for two wickets in reply at stumps, trailing by 491, before bad light brought play to an early close.

Rahmat Shah will resume on Saturday on 49 not out, along with Hashmatullah Shahidi on 16.

Zimbabwe scored 363-4 on the first day on Thursday with 38-year-old Sean Williams unbeaten on 145 overnight, along with Ervine on 56, but Williams was the first dismissed on Friday, tempted into pulling a short ball and caught for 154.

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Ervine brought up his fourth test century before nicking behind for 104 while Brian Bennett was 110 not out at the end for a maiden test ton.

AM Ghazanfar was the best of the visiting bowlers with 3-127.

Afghanistan lost their first wicket in the second over of their reply when debutant Trevor Gwandu bowled Sediqullah Atal with the fifth ball of his first test over.

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will play a second test in Bulawayo, starting on January 2.

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On the other hand, the day two of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa Pakistan ended premature due to bad light at Centurion on Friday.

Pakistan trailed by only two runs as they reached 88-3 in their second innings, leaving the hosts holding the upper hand.

Marco Jansen took 2-17, with Babar Azam not out on 16 and Saud Shakeel on eight.

Pakistan’s openers Saim Ayub and captain Shan Masood had batted briskly to halve the home side’s sizeable advantage in a determined fight back but three wickets in the last hour swung the advantage back South Africa’s way.

Kagiso Rabada bowled the exciting 22-year-old Ayub for 28, followed by Jansen dismissing Masood for 28 and Kamran Ghulam for four runs.

Earlier, Corbin Bosch continued his dream debut with a swashbuckling unbeaten 81 to help South Africa to 301 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings total of 211.

Bosch came in at number nine to contribute a potential match winning knock and add to his opening day heroics when he took 4-63 and became the 25th cricketer to take a wicket with his first test delivery.