Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat against Afghanistan in the Boxing Day Test in Bulawayo. This match features six debutants across both teams, adding excitement to the historic encounter. Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine handed maiden Test caps to left-handed batter Ben Curran, brother of England internationals Sam and Tom Curran, and seamers Trevor Gwandu and Newman Nyamhuri. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi awarded Test debuts to opener Sediqullah Atal, all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, and off-spinner AM Ghazanfar.
For Afghanistan, Atal opens the batting, while Omarzai strengthens the middle order at No. 5 and contributes medium-pace bowling. Ghazanfar, a right-arm off-spinner, joins Zahir Khan and part-timer Zia-ur-Rehman to form the spin attack. Rashid Khan was unavailable for selection due to personal reasons.
Zimbabwe’s inexperienced pace attack includes debutants Gwandu and Nyamhuri, who join Blessing Muzarabani. All-rounder Brian Bennett made the XI, while Sikandar Raza and Johnathan Campbell missed out.
This Test is Afghanistan’s first Boxing Day appearance and Zimbabwe’s first home Test since 1996. Notably, neither team has secured a Test win in nearly four years; their last victories came against each other in March 2021.
The weather initially welcomed both sides with sunshine, but rain and thunderstorms are expected later in the day, potentially disrupting play.
Playing XIs:
Zimbabwe: Joylord Gumbie, Ben Curran, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Sean Williams, Dion Myers, Craig Ervine (c), Brian Bennett, Brandon Mavuta, Newman Nyamhuri, Trevor Gwandu, Blessing Muzarabani.
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Afsar Zazai, Shahidullah, AM Ghazanfar, Zia-ur-Rehman, Naveed Zadran, Zahir Khan.
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