SHARJAH — Business Recorder reports that Afghanistan spinner Naseer Khan Maroofkhil produced a dazzling performance on his test debut in Sharjah, claiming seven wickets in Zimbabwe’s first innings to narrowly miss equalling the all-time record for the most wickets by a bowler in a test innings on debut.
According to Business Recorder dispatches, the 20-year-old missed the eight-wicket mark by a single dismissal, which would have made him the first Afghan bowler to equal the record shared by eight players. Zimbabwe had initially looked comfortable at 200-1, anchored by openers Innocent Kaia, who fell agonisingly short of a century with 96 runs, and Ben Curran, who contributed 44 runs.
Reporting from Business Recorder highlights that Kaia's dismissal triggered a dramatic middle-order collapse, reducing the batting side from 200-1 to 212-4 and eventually 250-5 by stumps on the opening day. Although veteran Brendan Taylor resumed on day two to compile 119 off 217 balls—marking his second century of the series and the eighth of his test career—Maroofkhil struck again to dismantle the resistance, leaving Zimbabwe to lose their final nine wickets for just 139 runs to finish at 339.
With the opening match of the two-test series having ended in a draw, dispatches indicate that both sides enter this encounter eager to force a decisive result in Sharjah.