Sediqullah Atal batted 332 balls for a maiden Test hundred, and Afghanistan held on for a draw against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh needed seven wickets on the final day and took five, but Afghanistan finished on 346 for 8 chasing 479 to draw the one-off Test.
Oct 13, 2026
Bangladesh started the last day in Abu Dhabi needing seven wickets. They took five, the last of them with five overs left, and then could not shift Qais Ahmad and Zia-ur-Rehman. Afghanistan finished on 346 for 8 chasing 479, and the one-off Test was drawn.
Qais made 49 not out from 80 balls. Zia faced 12 deliveries at the end without scoring, which was exactly what Afghanistan needed from him. Mohammad Saleem, the No. 11, never had to walk out.
Atal’s 332 balls
The draw belonged to Sediqullah Atal. The left-hander had come into the match with 62 runs from two Tests, and he batted for 332 balls for 111, his maiden Test hundred.
He resumed on 35 overnight and shared a fourth-wicket stand of 66 with Ikram Alikhil that took up most of the morning. Litton Das missed a hard stumping chance with Atal on 70 soon after lunch. Atal reached his hundred from 277 balls with a pulled four and was 105 not out at tea.
Taijul Islam finally got him in the last session, caught by Tanzid Hasan with the score on 281 for 7. Taijul bowled 48 overs in the innings and took 1 for 112. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Ebadot Hossain took three wickets each.
Hashmatullah Shahidi also played his part. He retired hurt on 20 in the morning after being hit on the knee by a throw, came back at 242 for 5 and made 36 before he charged Mehidy and was caught at mid-on just before tea. That wicket gave Bangladesh a chance, and Yamin Ahmadzai’s 85-ball 19 took a lot of the last session away from them.
Litton’s record match
Litton, playing on his 32nd birthday, held a diving catch down the leg side to remove Alikhil and complete nine dismissals in the match. With 53 and 102 as well, no wicketkeeper in Test history has matched that all-round return.
Hasan Mahmud’s first-innings five-for, which included Bangladesh’s first Test hat-trick by a fast bowler, put them 106 ahead. Litton’s hundred and the half-centuries from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim then let them declare on 372 for 7.
Rahmat Shah, captaining Afghanistan for the first time, made 105 not out and 51. Atal’s innings meant those runs were not wasted.