Hasan Mahmud took Bangladesh’s first Test hat-trick by a fast bowler, and they lead Afghanistan by 329 in Abu Dhabi
Rahmat Shah made an unbeaten 105 in his first Test as captain, but Afghanistan lost their last six wickets for 29. Shanto and Mushfiqur then put Bangladesh firmly in control on day three.
Oct 11, 2026
Rahmat Shah faced 216 balls in Abu Dhabi for an unbeaten 105 in his first Test as Afghanistan captain, and he spent the end of his innings at the non-striker’s end watching Afghanistan’s last six wickets go for 29 runs. Three of them went in three balls. Hasan Mahmud bowled Ismat Alam, had Qais Ahmad caught behind and then won an lbw review against Zia-ur-Rehman, and he became the first Bangladesh fast bowler to take a Test hat-trick.
Afghanistan were all out for 240, 106 behind. By stumps on the third day, Bangladesh were 223 for 6 in their second innings and the lead was 329, with two days left in the one-off Test.
From 219 for 4 to 240 all out
Rahmat and Ikram Alikhil had resumed on 211 for 4 and had added 80 for the fifth wicket by the time Ebadot Hossain got Ikram out in the 82nd over. The score was 219. Four balls later it was 220 for 6.
Mahmud’s first delivery of the hat-trick kept low and hit Ismat’s off stump. The next one found Qais Ahmad’s edge, and Litton Das dived to his right to hold it. The third struck Zia on the pad. The on-field umpire said not out, Najmul Hossain Shanto reviewed, and ball-tracking had it hitting the stumps.
Bangladesh had two Test hat-tricks before this one, by the leg-spinner Alok Kapali against Pakistan in Peshawar in 2003 and by the off-spinner Sohag Gazi against New Zealand in Chattogram in 2013. Mahmud finished with five wickets and Ebadot with four. Rahmat got to his hundred off his 215th ball, by which point the No. 11 Mohammad Saleem was with him, and he was left unbeaten on 105 when Saleem was caught behind off Ebadot.
Shanto and Mushfiqur take the game away
Afghanistan’s seamers hit back straight away. Saleem had Shadman Islam caught off a top-edged pull, and Yamin Ahmadzai found the edge of Mominul Haque and then Tanzid Hasan. Bangladesh were 53 for 3, and their lead was only 159.
Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim then batted for most of the rest of the day. Shanto was happy to block, and needed 135 balls for his fifty. Mushfiqur, bowled for a seven-ball duck in the first innings, scored much more freely at the other end, and the two of them put on 159.
The last hour did give Afghanistan something. Zia-ur-Rehman got Mushfiqur for 81 off 148 balls. Qais Ahmad then spun one between Shanto’s bat and pad to bowl him for 82, shortly before the close, and Zia turned one out of the rough to get Mahmud with the second-last ball of the day. Three wickets for 11 runs only trimmed a lead that was already past 300.
What Afghanistan are left with
Afghanistan are 329 behind with Bangladesh still batting, and they will have to bat last on a pitch where Zia was already turning the ball out of the rough on Sunday evening. Bangladesh still have four second-innings wickets in hand, and two days to bowl Afghanistan out. On this evidence, Rahmat’s hundred may be the best thing Afghanistan take away from Abu Dhabi.