“Oh boy not again!” | 00:51
Tim Miller with AFP from Fox SportsOctober 14th, 2026 9:52 am
Sediqullah Atal’s marathon century and some inspired lower-order resistance – as well as a familiar controversy – inspired Afghanistan to a dramatic draw in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Opener Atal, playing only his third Test, batted for eight-and-a-half hours for his 332-ball 111 before number nine Qais Ahmad hit an unbeaten 49.
But it was the tailender’s innings which was undoubtedly the most dramatic.
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Having come in after Atal’s dismissal opened the door for Bangladesh with 23 overs remaining in the day, the spinner, who has previously played for Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars in the BBL, found a left-field way to waste time near the finish.
With just over ten minutes left to survive, Qais defended left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, before collapsing in pain clutching his left hamstring.
He got up and briefly limped around straight-legged before assistance was called for, as Bangladesh players watched on, clearly unimpressed.
Afghanistan’s team physio was quickly on hand to attend to the stricken player.
The incident drew immediate comparisons to an infamous controversy during the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Afghanistan player Gulbadin Naib faked a cramp at slip as the team attempted to play for rain in another match against the Tigers.
“Qais Ahmad does it again! This reminds me of Gulbadin Naib!” commentator Ahmad Farhad Fidai laughed.
“Oh boy, not again … we can understand from here what’s going on!
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Well done. I hope he’s okay.”
The Gulbadin incident helped the team qualify for an unlikely semi-final berth, while this time around, it had a similar effect.
The cramp was only one part of an extraordinary innings.
The tailender survived being run out on 7 after Bangladesh muffed a simple chance at the non-striker’s end, with a close-range throw missing the stumps.
Needing only to block out the overs, the 26-year old, nicknamed “Chaos” by Afghanistan fans, also went for several hair-raising slogs with a close-in field set, hitting nine boundaries in his 80-ball innings.
One such reckless shot should have been his downfall, only for Hasan Mahmud, who starred with nine wickets in Bangladesh’s historic win over Australia in Darwin, to drop a sitter.
Most dramatically of all, he hit two sixes in the final over, as star teammate Rashid Khan, who didn’t play in the match, watched from the sidelines.
He first clubbed Taijul back over his head for a shocking straight six, then blocked out the next three balls to ensure a draw, before celebrating by whacking another six over mid-wicket.
“This will be rated as one of the best performances, probably the best ever, in the history of Afghanistan cricket,” commentator Devender Kumar said.
“Rashid Khan is smiling. The whole of Afghanistan is smiling.
“This is a significant moment in the history of Afghanistan cricket … in Test match cricket, they have shown that they can eke out some courageous performances.
“Afghanistan is a rising force across formats now.”
Having started the final day on 132-3, the underdogs finished on 346-8, from a total of 142 overs, after being set a nominal 479-run target to win.
When Atal fell to a close-in catch off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam soon after tea with the score at 281-7, Bangladesh were in sight of victory.
But Qais and fellow tailender Yamin Ahmadzai (19 off 85 balls) batted for 110 deliveries in a valiant 45-run stand for the eighth wicket to resist Bangladesh’s spinners.
Even when Ahmadzai fell to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh had five overs to enforce a win but Qais and number 10 Zia-ur-Rehman hung on.
Pacer Ebadot Hossain took 3-50 and off-spinner Miraz finished with 3-73, but it was not enough for Bangladesh.
Atal earlier reached his century with a boundary off Hasan Mahmud, becoming the first Afghanistan batter to reach three figures in the fourth innings of a Test.
Hashmatullah Shahidi also scored 36 and helped Atal defy the Bangladesh bowling, but holed out to mid-on attempting a big shot down the ground, just seven minutes before tea.
Ismat Alam batted for 60 deliveries for his four – scoring his first run off his 44th delivery – before Miraz had him caught by Shanto.
With under two hours left, Bangladesh were finally rewarded with Atal’s wicket as the left-hander pushed a turning delivery from Islam and a thick edge was well caught at short-leg by Tanzid Hasan.
But Ahmadzai, Qais and Zia’s heroics ensured the Afghans had the last say.
Source: www.foxsports.com.au
