"This Draw Is Equal to a Win": Rahmat Shah Hails Afghanistan's Grit After Great Escape Against Bangladesh

Afghanistan turned a near-certain defeat into a draw worth celebrating, surviving 142 overs across both innings to deny Bangladesh victory in their sole Test at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, played from October 9 to 13.

Set a mammoth 479 to win, the visitors dug in and finished their second innings on 346 for 8, clinging on through the final session to deny the hosts. Captain Rahmat Shah called the result "equal to a win," praising his squad for sticking rigidly to a pre-match plan that mixed positive strokeplay with disciplined time-wasting as the situation demanded.

The resistance was built on two defining knocks. Shah himself struck 105 in the first innings to steady Afghanistan after they were dismissed for 240, while Sediqullah Atal produced a monumental effort in the second innings — his maiden Test century, 111 from 332 balls with nine fours and three sixes — to blunt the Bangladesh attack deep into the match.

Shah reserved special praise for Atal, who showed remarkable composure in a format far removed from the T20 cricket he is known for, and highlighted the collective contribution of a batting line-up that produced two centuries and several half-centuries across the game.