Zimbabwe reach 202 for 3 on day one of the Sharjah Test with the series level

Zimbabwe batted first in Sharjah and had reached 202 for 3 by the 60th over of a second Test that will decide a series still level at 0-0

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day of the second Test against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, and had moved to 202 for 3 from 60 overs.

The two-match series is level at 0-0 after a drawn first Test on the same ground, so whichever side wins here takes it.

Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran gave the innings its platform, the opening pair taking Zimbabwe to 44 without loss inside the first 13 overs.

A patient start from the openers

Kaia was unbeaten on 31 from 42 balls after 12.1 overs, five of them boundaries, while Curran had made 13 from 31 with two fours.

Afghanistan's new-ball pair found little. Yamin Ahmadzai went wicketless for 23 from six overs and Ziaur Rahman conceded 20 from his first six, before Mohammad Saleem was brought into the attack.

Three wickets fell between that first hour and the 60th over, by which point Zimbabwe had moved past 200.

A first Test that rewrote the record book

The opening match of the series produced 1,541 runs for 25 wickets across three innings and ended in a draw.

Zimbabwe made 504 batting first and Afghanistan replied with 514, a lead of 10. Zimbabwe then declared their second innings on 523 for 5.

In doing so they became the first team in Test history to pass 500 in both innings of a match.

Seven hundreds and a double for Ervine

Brendan Taylor and the Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett scored centuries in the first innings, and Craig Ervine followed with an unbeaten 206 in the second.

Ervine became the third-oldest player to make a Test double hundred, and his 208-run sixth-wicket stand with Wessly Madhevere, who finished on 100 not out, is a Zimbabwe record.

Afghanistan answered through their captain Rahmat Shah, who made 173, with Rahmanullah Zadran scoring 113 on debut and Sediqullah Atal 105.

The best bowling of the match belonged to Zimbabwe's Newman Nyamhuri, who took 5-82 from 30.4 overs. Saleem returned 3-82 from 27.3.

A pitch the bowlers want more from

The first-Test surface offered spinners little consistent help, and Zimbabwe scored at 3.75 an over in their first innings and 4.28 in the second.

A different pitch was expected for this match, with early seam movement, variable bounce and late wear the questions. The first Test was played in temperatures of about 37C, against a forecast nearer 30C for this one.

Zimbabwe's coach Justin Sammons set out what the side wanted from the surface before the match, saying: "Ultimately, you want results in Test cricket and you want a fair challenge."

Zimbabwe are without Richard Ngarava, who has a back problem, and Tanaka Chivanga.

Two Full Members outside the championship

Neither side is part of the nine-team World Test Championship, despite both holding Full Member status.

Zimbabwe have argued for wider participation, including one-off Tests counting towards the championship, and the question has been discussed at ICC meetings in Bali.

Afghanistan cannot stage international cricket at home and play their Tests at neutral venues such as Sharjah.

The two met repeatedly in white-ball cricket before this series. Afghanistan won the UAE ODI tri-series final by seven wickets after dismissing Zimbabwe for 169, and took the T20I series 3-0, with Noor Ahmad returning 5-13 in one match. Rashid Khan is not part of the Test side.

Scorecard: Zimbabwe 202 for 3 (60 overs) v Afghanistan, second Test, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, day one