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Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 1st Test

Zimbabwe chose to bat first and were 104 for 1 after 28 overs in the latest update. The pitch is expected to be slow, so spinners could play a big part.

By Kumar Ujjwal · · 2 min read
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Representative photo: Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Photo: Sanober Ahmed / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are playing the first of two Test matches in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The match began on Thursday, November 5, 2026. This is why many people are searching for it today.

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first. The Sporting News and cricketnews.com both gave the start time as 11.30 a.m.

IST.

In the latest update on the India Today live scorecard, Zimbabwe were 104 for 1 after 28 overs.

Brendan Taylor and Ben Curran were at the crease.

Key points

  • Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are playing the first of two Tests in Sharjah.
  • Zimbabwe chose to bat after winning the toss.
  • In the latest update, Zimbabwe were 104 for 1 after 28 overs.
  • The pitch is expected to be slow, which may help spinners.

So why does this Test matter?

Sharjah has not hosted a Test match in about a decade.

The last one was in 2016, when West Indies chased 154 against Pakistan.

Since then, the ground has hosted 76 men's white-ball games. Both teams are outside the World Test Championship for now.

Sharjah Test: Key Numbers
154 runsRuns West Indies chased in 2016
76White-ball games at Sharjah since 2016
36+ degreesForecast temperature
104 for 1Zimbabwe score in the latest update

Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report

ICC meetings are set to take place next weekend.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will discuss expanding the championship.

What do the previews say about the pitch?

Preview writers say the pitch is slow and has low bounce. The outfield is also sluggish.

Temperatures are forecast above 36 degrees, so runs may be hard to find. That makes spinners important.

Afghanistan are expected to play Qais Ahmed and Zia-ur-Rehman. Zimbabwe could play Graeme Cremer or Vincent Masekesa.

Who has the edge in this match?

Both preview sites say Afghanistan look the likelier winners, though not by a big margin.

Afghanistan are missing Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.

Zimbabwe have experienced players in Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Graeme Cremer. All three are 40.

Richard Ngarava has a back problem, which leaves their attack thin.

One live scorecard page listed batsmen's names that do not belong to this series.

So this story uses only the match details and the score line from it.

Sources

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