Ahmadzai’s reverse swing sparks Afghanistan fightback against Bangladesh

Afghanistan’s seamers turn the tide after Bangladesh’s fast start

Afghanistan fought back on the opening day of the one-off Test against Bangladesh, claiming three wickets after lunch after an aggressive first session from the hosts. Yamin Ahmadzai said the visitors resisted the temptation to abandon their plan when Bangladesh began scoring freely.

“They were coming a bit aggressively and we were trying to just be in one channel and let them play their shots according to their plan,” Ahmadzai said. “We were not going to change our plan.”

Fuller lines and reverse swing deliver key breakthroughs

Afghanistan’s pace trio of Mohammad Saleem, Ahmadzai and Ismat Alam took seven of the eight wickets to fall, mixing short deliveries with disciplined bowling in a consistent channel. Ahmadzai struck twice in the second session, dismissing Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim, and also took a catch in the deep to remove Litton Kumar Das late in the day.

Ahmadzai said he had repeatedly targeted the fifth- and sixth-stump line against Mushfiqur before going straighter when the batter was not playing at those deliveries. The ball swung back enough to produce the breakthrough.

“I was trying to bring him to play in my line. Suddenly, I decided to go one straighter and it reversed a bit and I got his wicket,” he said.

The Afghanistan seamer credited work on his wrist position for helping him generate reverse swing, saying he had developed the technique with the team’s coaches. He also described his late catch of Litton as a difficult effort, saying he was grateful to hold on.

Ahmadzai points to years of work

Despite the comeback, Ahmadzai acknowledged that batting first had looked advantageous on the surface. “It was a good day for us in the end,” he said.

He said the conditions in Afghanistan do not always assist bowlers, making it important to keep developing new skills. “I’m a strong believer of hard work and I’ve been doing it for the last 18 years,” Ahmadzai said, adding that he believes that work has underpinned his success.