Afghanistan hold Bangladesh to a draw in Abu Dhabi Test as Sediqullah Atal scores 111

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium ended in a draw. Afghanistan, who trailed on the first innings, saved the match in a manner that has won over cricket fans around the world. Captain Rahmat Shah expressed his happiness at the result and said the draw was, in a way, like a win for his team.

Rahmat Shah particularly praised Sediqullah Atal, who scored a century in the second innings and played the most important role in saving the match.

At the presentation ceremony, Rahmat said Sediqullah had just come from playing T20 cricket. Despite that, the patience with which he batted and the way he did what the team needed was the reason Afghanistan reached this position. Rahmat also said that, as a team, they were happy that two players scored centuries in the match. Some batters made half-centuries and contributed to the key partnerships.

The lower-order batters also batted sensibly. The team's plan was to bat for a long time. They had to be patient and not be bothered by dot balls or maiden overs. The aim was to bat through the whole day. Batting 142 overs and more than seven hours in the second innings was a big achievement for the team. Sediqullah said everyone's effort was very good.

At the press conference after the match, Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus said the credit for changing the result of the match went to Sediqullah. According to him, it was a superb innings from Atal. He was slightly out of touch, so he worked very hard in this innings and should get the credit for it. Pybus said Atal is at the start of his Test career and will carry this confidence forward.

Looking at the match, Bangladesh batted first and scored 346. In reply, Afghanistan's first innings was bowled out for 240. Captain Rahmat Shah scored an unbeaten 105 in the first innings. Bangladesh declared their second innings at 372 for 7 and set Afghanistan a target of 479 to win.

Afghanistan made a poor start. Abdul Malik was out for just 2. The other opener, Sediqullah Atal, then steadied the innings. Atal faced 332 balls for his 111 and played a key role in saving the match.

Atal was supported well by captain Rahmat Shah (51 off 124 balls), Hashmatullah Shahidi (36 off 69), Ikram Alikhil (33 off 69), Yamin Ahmadzai (19 off 85) and Qais Ahmad (unbeaten 49 off 80). Afghanistan batted 142 overs in the second innings and scored 346 for 8. Play ended on the fifth day at that score and the match was declared a draw.