Atal leads fightback as Afghanistan defy Bangladesh: Only Test, Day 5 (Abu Dhabi)

Sediqullah Atal was the hero as Bangladesh and Afghanistan played out a tense draw in the one-off Test after Afghanistan produced a determined fourth-innings resistance to finish on 346 for 8 while chasing a daunting target of 479.

Sediqullah Atal led the fightback with a superb 111, while Rahmat Shah contributed 51 and Qais Ahmad remained unbeaten on 49. Ebadot Hossain claimed three wickets for 50 runs, but Afghanistan held firm to deny Bangladesh victory.

Bangladesh had laid the foundation for a potential win with first-innings contributions from Tanzid Hasan (83), Shadman Islam (67) and Litton Das (53), posting 346 before Afghanistan replied with 240.

Rahmat Shah top-scored with 105, supported by Abdul Malik’s 62, while Mahmud took five wickets for 55. Bangladesh then declared at 372 for 7, powered by Litton’s century (102), Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 82 and Mushfiqur Rahim’s 81. Despite establishing a substantial lead, Bangladesh could not force a final breakthrough as Afghanistan battled through the final innings to secure the draw.

Bangladesh 346 (Tanzid 83, Shadman 67, Litton 53, Saleem 4-82) and 372 for 7 (Litton 102, Shanto 82, Mushfiqur 81, Saleem 2-69) drew with Afghanistan 240 (Rahmat 105, Malik 62, Mahmud 5-55) and 346 for 8 (Atal 111, Rahmat 51, Qais 49*, Ebadot 3-50).

Oct 2026.