Ervine's fifty stretches Zimbabwe's lead past 200 as the Sharjah Test drifts towards a draw

Zimbabwe moved 220 runs clear in Sharjah on the final morning of the first Test, with Craig Ervine unbeaten on a half-century and a draw the overwhelming likelihood

Zimbabwe reached 230 for 4 in their second innings at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday, a lead of 220 over Afghanistan with the opening Test of the two-match series drifting towards a stalemate.

Ervine was 54 not out from 93 balls and Antum Naqvi 24 from 58, the pair adding 56 for the fifth wicket after captain Brian Bennett fell for 58 from 86 balls.

With fewer than 70 overs left in the match and 1,248 runs already scored for the loss of 24 wickets, neither side has found a route to a result on a surface that has given the bowlers almost nothing all week.

Ervine and Naqvi see out the morning

Bennett resumed on 49, moved to 58 and then became the only wicket to fall in the session, leaving Ervine and Naqvi to occupy the crease rather than chase quick runs.

Their stand of 56 came from 106 balls, a tempo that said more about the state of the game than any declaration arithmetic. Ervine's half-century took 93 deliveries and contained five fours.

Zimbabwe have not needed to force the issue. Holding a lead of more than 200 with six wickets in hand and a session already gone, the side batting second in the match controls how long it lasts.

Naqvi, named in Zimbabwe's 17-man squad after meeting ICC eligibility criteria, has been content to play out the spinners from the far end.

Taylor's run-out the one setback

Zimbabwe had slipped to 38 for 2 early in the innings, Zia-ur-Rehman removing both Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran.

Brendan Taylor then counter-attacked for 82 before he was run out following a mix-up with Bennett, the one genuine misstep in an otherwise untroubled rebuild.

Bennett and Ervine were together on 164 for 3 at the close on day four, a lead of 154 with seven wickets standing, and they extended that without alarm on the final morning.

Rahmat Shah's record stand squared the match up

Afghanistan had replied to Zimbabwe's first-innings 504 with 514, a lead of just 10 runs built on a long middle order.

Captain Rahmat Shah made 173 from 347 balls, the second-highest Test score of his career, after Rahmanullah Zadran's 113 on debut and Sediqullah Atal's 105 had already lifted the innings.

Rahmat Shah added 92 for the eighth wicket with Zia-ur-Rehman, who made 15 from 99 balls — a new Afghanistan record for that wicket in Tests.

Newman Nyamhuri completed a maiden five-wicket haul when he dismissed Mohammad Saleem to end the innings.

A pitch that has offered nothing

Zimbabwe batted 134.3 overs for their 504 after Bennett won the toss and chose to bat; Afghanistan needed 169.4 overs to pass it.

Taylor set the tone on the opening day with 131 from 168 balls, his seventh Test century, and Bennett followed with 128 from 206 with 11 fours — a third Test hundred and his first as captain.

Only one wicket has fallen on the final day, and the spinners have carried most of the workload as the seamers found no movement.

Three centuries in Afghanistan's reply and two in Zimbabwe's first innings have left the bowlers on both sides with figures that will not read well.

Second Test follows in Sharjah

Bennett is leading the side because Richard Ngarava is still recovering from a back injury, with the fast bowler Tanaka Chivanga also ruled out of the tour.

The squad retains much of the side that beat Bangladesh by an innings and 85 runs at Harare Sports Club in June, Zimbabwe's largest Test victory.

The second and final Test of the series begins at the same ground on 13 November.

Scorecard: Zimbabwe 504 (134.3 overs) and 230 for 4 (59.3 overs) lead Afghanistan 514 (169.4 overs) by 220 runs, first Test, Sharjah Cricket Stadium.