On October 21, 2025, Ben Curran at Harare Sports Club became one of the few batsmen to score a century in Test matches while playing against Afghanistan.
The opener from the left side made his way to 121 runs off 256 balls thereby contributing significantly to Zimbabwe’s total of 359 that was scored in reply to 127 runs by the Afghans in first innings. This lead of 232 runs was very much the home team’s and it almost inevitably sealed the fate of the one-match Test series in their favor.
The 29-year-old batsman displayed his skill and patience to perfection while dealing with the bowlers, sending to the boundary 15 balls and still being at the crease for over three hours.
To the cricket lovers who were watching the match on cricmatch, it was nothing but a treat to see Curran guiding the innings so well after Zimbabwe had opted to bowl first.
Early Success With the Ball
The First Day: Bowling Zimbabwe’s bowlers executed a perfect plan on day one when they managed to dismiss the Afghanistan team for only 127 runs. Brad Evans was the best among the bowlers, getting five wickets for just 22 runs in his only second Test appearance.
Here are the key bowling stats from Afghanistan’s first innings:
- Brad Evans grabbed 5 wickets for 22 runs
- Blessing Muzarabani picked up 3 wickets for 47 runs
- The entire Afghan side was dismissed in just 32.3 overs
- Only opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz managed to score 37 runs
The fast bowlers found plenty of movement in the pitch, making life tough for the visiting batters. This strong start set things up perfectly for Zimbabwe to take charge of the match.
Building The Lead
Starting the second day at 130 for 2 with Curran on 52, Zimbabwe steadily built their total. The opener found a dependable partner in Sikandar Raza, and together they formed the fifth wicket partnership of 99 runs which was a turning point in the innings. Raza was the last to go without the hundred, playing a solid knock of 65 runs from 88 balls, including seven boundaries before he was caught at deep square leg.
Curran after pushing a single through mid-wicket reached his hundred off 217 balls. The moment was huge for him as he became the first one from his renowned cricket family to score centuries in both Test and ODI formats. His father Kevin played for Zimbabwe while his brothers Sam and Tom play for England.
The opener, finally, fell just before tea when Ismat Alam tricked him with a slow full delivery and he was trapped lbw. Zimbabwe was at that stage 302 for 6 and had a lead of 175 runs already.
Afghanistan Fight Back With Ziaur
Though most Afghan bowlers were unable to do much with the unresponsive surface, debutant Ziaur Rahman was the only one who displayed real skill. The seamer’s final figures of 7 for 97 mark second best by an Afghanistan bowler in Tests. Only Rashid Khan’s 7 for 66 which was also against Zimbabwe, ranks higher.
Despite Ziaur’s remarkable performance, the scoreboard still indicated a total of 359 when the last wicket was taken. For those who were following the game through cricmatch and other platforms, it was obvious that Zimbabwe had completely taken over the match.
Zimbabwe Press Home The Advantage
After building such a huge first-innings lead, Zimbabwe knew they needed early breakthroughs when Afghanistan batted again. They got exactly what they wanted when Richard Ngarava dismissed Abdul Malik for just 2 runs. By stumps on day two, the visitors had crawled to 34 for 1, still trailing by 198 runs. These are the key numbers from day two:
- Zimbabwe posted a 232-run first-innings lead
- Afghanistan ended at 34 for 1 in their second innings
- They still needed 198 more runs just to make Zimbabwe come out and hit again
- Zimbabwe were chasing their first home Test victory since 2013
What This Means For The Match
The visiting team is now the one on whom it is to decide the next steps. Curran after his innings said that the whole team has to stay patient and continue to force the issue. He added that playing against top-quality teams has gradually compelled Zimbabwe to upgrade their method of playing.
The century of the opener was also remarkable as Zimbabwe has not witnessed an opener century since Hamilton Masakadza’s in 2017. The innings demonstrated real maturity from a player who had been struggling with his form in Tests prior to this match.
If Afghanistan want to stop the clock from running down on their first Test defeat to Zimbabwe, they will need to do a lot more than just batters putting up fight like they did in the first innings. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be trying to work quickly through the batting order with their bowling.
This show brings Zimbabwe within a stone’s throw of their first Test win at home in more than ten years, with Curran’s hundred being the stabilizing factor of their tour de force.
