A high-voltage drama occurred during the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh one-off Test on Tuesday as Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad took a four-minute break due to an apparent injury during the final stages of the match on the fifth day. The injury occurred while he was batting as Afghanistan were eight wickets down and Bangladesh were only 2 wickets away from the win with 10-minutes remaining for the day to be called off.
Bangladesh Denied Victory
The game was stopped as Bangladesh was trying hard for a win and time was running out. The delay meant that the hosts had less time to take the remaining wickets for victory.
Crucial Time In Tense Finish
The four minutes which were wasted were crucial in the tense finish. Had play continued uninterrupted Bangladesh's bowlers could have bowled around two more overs and had extra chances to break Afghanistan's resistance. However, it remains unclear whether those additional overs would have changed the result.
Bangladesh were closing in on victory after dismissing Sediqullah Atal, who scored 111 off 332 balls. However, Afghanistan's lower order held firm. The hosts missed two runout chances on successive deliveries and Hasan Mahmud dropped a catch as the visitors battled to save the match.
Qais Returns To Crease
Qais returned to the crease and remained unbeaten on 49 off 80 balls. He and tail ender Zia-ur-Rehman helped Afghanistan reach 346/8 in 142 overs to secure a draw. Bangladesh had set the visitors a target of 479.
There it is not confirmed that Qais deliberately delayed the game. However, the four-minute stoppage came at a critical stage when Bangladesh were running out of time to force a result.
