Zimbabwe created a new record in Test cricket on Monday after becoming the first team in the 149-year history of the format to score more than 500 runs in both innings of a match.
Led by Brian Bennett, Zimbabwe reached 523/5 in their second innings at the end of the first Test against Afghanistan in Sharjah. They had already scored 504 runs in their first innings, taking their total match aggregate beyond the 1,000-run mark.
Zimbabwe’s first innings featured centuries from Brendan Taylor and Bennett, while Wessly Madhevere also made a valuable contribution with a score of 54. Afghanistan’s Saleem Safi and Qais Ahmad picked up three wickets each.
Afghanistan responded strongly with 514 runs in their first innings. Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Zadran and captain Rahmat Shah all scored centuries to put their team in a strong position.
Zimbabwe came out with another impressive batting performance in the second innings. Craig Ervine led the way with a double century, while Taylor, Bennett and Antum Naqvi scored half-centuries. Madhevere also reached three figures as Zimbabwe finished on 523/5.
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Zimbabwe Record Fourth-Highest Match Aggregate In Tests
With 504 runs in the first innings and 523/5 in the second, Zimbabwe finished the match with an aggregate of 1,027 runs.
It is the fourth-highest match aggregate by a team in Test cricket. Zimbabwe have also joined a small group of teams to score more than 1,000 runs in a single Test.
Before this match, Zimbabwe’s highest Test match aggregate was 885 runs, which they recorded against India in Nagpur in 2000.
Afghanistan-Zimbabwe Test Creates Another Unique Record
The Sharjah Test also became the first match in Test history to feature three innings totals of more than 500 runs.
Only two other first-class matches have seen this happen. They were the 1948-49 Ranji Trophy semi-final between Maharashtra and Bombay and a 2001 County Championship match between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in Derby.
Another notable achievement in the Sharjah Test was the number of centuries scored. Seven hundreds were recorded in the match, making it only the 11th men’s Test to feature seven or more individual centuries.
Only two Tests have witnessed more centuries, with eight hundreds each. The first was the 2005 Test between West Indies and South Africa in Antigua, while the second came during the 2013 clash between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Galle.
Brendan Taylor Becomes Second-Oldest Player To Win Test Player Of The Match Award
Brendan Taylor also entered the record books after receiving the Player of the Match award in Sharjah.
At 40 years and 272 days, he became the second-oldest player to win the award in men’s Test cricket.
Former England captain Graham Gooch holds the record. He was 40 years and 314 days old when he received the honour after scoring 210 against New Zealand in Nottingham in 1994.