Ball-by-Ball Commentary
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:21 pm
That brings us to the end of our live coverage from this epic, enthralling Test match! It was a contest turned topsy-turvy across all five days, but in the end, Afghanistan showed monumental resolve, holding their nerve to secure a thrilling draw, a result that feels every bit as good as a win for them. We hope you enjoyed our coverage and analysis throughout the match. Until next time, goodbye and take care!
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:21 pm
Time for some lighthearted moments. The one-off Test has ended as a draw so both the captains step ahead to share the trophy. Players from both teams pose together for photographs with beaming smiles on their faces.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:20 pm
Rahmat Shah (2/2): (On Sediqullah’s century and the maturity that he displayed) Sediq has only recently come into the T20 setup, and he showed tremendous temperament. He followed the team's requirements and carried out what was asked of him, and that helped us achieve this result. (On scoring a hundred on debut as an Afghanistan Test captain) As a captain, leading from the front, you have to assess the conditions, the opposition and the bowlers, and use your footwork accordingly. In my opinion, you have to read the opposition fielders and the captain's changes, adjust your batting, and find the gaps to score runs. I worked on my footwork, and that helped me keep adding runs to the board and make the most of the opportunities.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:20 pm
Rahmat Shah (Afghanistan captain) (1/2): (Is this draw as good as a win for them?) Absolutely. For me, this is a winning moment. The way we put in the effort over five days, whether in bowling or batting, makes it special. (On the resilience from their batters) Absolutely. If you look at it, we had a plan for the game, both in bowling and batting, and we stuck to that plan. If we needed runs, we scored runs. If we needed to spend time at the crease, we spent time at the crease. Because of that, the result moved towards a draw.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:18 pm
Najmul Hossain Shanto (2/2): (On Litton Das' impressive performance) It’s truly outstanding what Litton achieved in this match. But honestly, it’s not just this game, over the last few years, he’s been exceptional both behind the stumps and with his DRS calls. Showing that kind of character to score a century in these conditions and then keep wickets for 140 overs is incredible. It shows immense strength of character, and I hope he continues this fine form with both bat and gloves. (On Hasan Mahmud and Bangladesh's pace battery) Whenever I throw him (Hasan) the ball, he delivers for the team, regardless of the conditions, whether in Australia or here in the sub-continent. He’s been outstanding, and alongside Ebadot, Taskin, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful, our entire pace unit is doing a tremendous job. They work incredibly hard, and I hope they keep building on this momentum in the years to come.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:18 pm
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh Captain) (1/2): (On the disappointment of the result?) Yes, it is disappointing, but I think Afghanistan played brilliantly. We managed to create a few opportunities throughout the day, but unfortunately, we just couldn't convert those chances into wickets. (On whether he expected a bit more from their spinners?) Yes, obviously. Over the last couple of years, our fast bowlers have been doing a brilliant job. Given the weather and the conditions here, I really expected our spinners to come through for us in this match. They certainly gave it their all, but as I said, Afghanistan batted remarkably well. Going forward, this is a major learning curve for us as a team. Grinding through five full days of tough Test cricket is a vital experience that will only help us grow. (On the upcoming home series?) It’s a massive opportunity for us. The preparation and hard work we put into this match will serve us really well for that series. I’m especially pleased with how our batting unit is shaping up, Litton is back among the runs, and Mushfiqur is in great form too. That bodes extremely well for the group, and the boys are fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:01 pm
Litton Das (2/2): (On the highlight of his batting?) To be honest, when I got my first run, I was relieved, and I felt that. The thing is, I practised one net session, and I felt that I had some confidence coming back. When I got one run, after that I felt that this gave me a little bit of confidence. The wicket was a little bit flat. I missed out in the first innings. It will be hard for me because every day doesn't give you that much opportunity to score big. But when I went to the second innings, I took that chance. (On his most pleasing catch?) I think Hasan's second wicket in the hat-trick one, because when someone is bowling a short ball, you have time to react. And when someone is bowling outside off, I know it is coming to the right-hand side. That one was tough.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 07:01 pm
Litton Das | Player of the Match (1/2): (On how difficult it is to keep wickets in the Abu Dhabi heat?) It's really tough because of the heat. Playing in a five-day Test like this, it's really tough as a batsman and wicketkeeper. But I thought that I just need my energy to keep wickets in this heat. If I focus, then it will happen, something good. Yeah, obviously we wanted to win the match, but that's how cricket goes on. Afghanistan played really well. Although the wicket was a little bit flat, the way they batted, on day 4 and day 5, it looked good.
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:51 pm
In response, the Afghan batters were insipid apart from Abdul Malik and Rahmat Shah. The Afghan skipper in particular batted beautifully to raise a century. Hasan Mahmud's 5-fer which included a hat-trick enabled the visitors to take a sizeable 106-run lead. Bangladesh were in some trouble in their second essay but fifties from Shanto and Mushfiqur and a century from Litton helped them regain their foothold on the game. They declared and set a mammoth 479 target in front of the hosts. Atal was the star of the show as he batted for more than four sessions. He showed great temperament to raise his maiden Test century and was the key that led the hosts to draw this game. Alikhil's gutsy knock, Ahmadzai's resilience and Qais Ahmad's unconventional batting saved the day for Afghanistan. If the visitors had taken their chances especially in the last hour, it would have been a different story. Stick around for the presentations...
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:43 pm
17:13 Local Time, 13:13 GMT, 18:43 IST: What a game we have witnessed! Jubilant faces in the Afghan camp while there are dejected ones in the Bangladesh one. Bangladesh have themselves to blame. They dropped a few catches and missed a couple of run-outs in the last session to let the game drift away. The rub of the green also didn't go their way. They couldn't hold onto their nerves when it mattered the most. Kudos to the Afghanistan team. They are known for being warriors and their resilience shone through under testing circumstances. The visitors had nearly five sessions to bowl the hosts out but couldn't breach them. Agreed that the surface was nowhere near a real turner which we usually get to see in UAE but credit needs to be given where it's due. Earlier in the game, fifties upfront from Tanzid and Shadman set things up for the visitors while a fifty down the order from Litton helped them to reach a decent total.
- 141.6AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:40 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, SIX, Qais finishes at 49! He has been really gutsy! He performs the sajdah. Qais lines this in-drifter and slogs it over the cow corner fence. A brilliant rearguard effort from Afghanistan to salvage a draw. Bangladesh were the favourites but their catching and fielding let them down in key moments
- 141.5AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:40 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, no run, flatter and quicker, pushed from the crease to covers
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:40 pm
Two more deliveries to go
- 141.4AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:39 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, no run, on the shorter side on off, Qais rocks back and mistimes the cut to covers
- 141.3AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:39 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, no run, tossed up delivery on off, Qais lunges in defence
- 141.2sixAFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:39 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, SIX, Qais Ahmad is operating at a different level! The Afghan dug out is having a laugh about it! He dances down the track, gets close to the pitch of the delivery and smokes it downtown for a maximum
- 141.1AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:38 pm
Taijul Islam to Qais Ahmad, no run, full delivery drifting in on off, Qais leans ahead and blocks it off the inner half towards mid-wicket
- —AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:38 pm
This should be the last over
- 140.6AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:37 pm
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Zia-ur-Rehman, no run, full outside off, Zia-ur-Rehman leans ahead to defend and gets an inside edge that lands short of leg slip
- 140.5AFG· 13 Oct 2026, 06:37 pm
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Zia-ur-Rehman, no run, floaty full delivery outside off, Zia-ur-Rehman puts in a nice stride forward and blocks it to silly point