After two of the most venerable cricket nations played a Test match in fast-forward last week, two of its newer arrivals followed suit on an eventful opening day in Abu Dhabi.
Fifteen wickets fell as Test cricket returned to the capital for the first time since December 2018.
By the end of day one in the Abu Dhabi Sunshine series at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Zimbabwe just about held the ascendancy over Afghanistan. At stumps, they led by two runs with five first innings wickets still standing.
Blessing Muzarabani, the towering fast bowler, took four wickets as the Zimbabweans fired out the host side for 131 within a session and a half.
The Zimbabwe top order hardly fared better in reply, as they slipped to 38-4, but captain Sean Williams posted an important half-century to wrest the initiative for his side.
The two-match series was relocated from Oman, where it had initially been scheduled, because of Covid reasons.
It provides a rare opportunity to play the long format for the two sides. Zimbabwe have played just three Tests since 2018, while it is just Afghanistan’s fifth match since they started out in Test cricket in the same year.
The Afghans have gone into it with a number of their stars absent. Rashid Khan, the leg-spinner, was unavailable because of the finger injury he sustained while playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL.
None of the stars of franchise cricket like Mohammed Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, or Mohammed Shahzad is involved.
Neither is Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the 19-year-old whizkid who scored a century on his one-day international debut against Ireland in January, and who has been playing Bukhatir League cricket in Sharjah for much of the time since.
Many of those will likely play a role when the two sides meet in a series of three Twenty20 internationals starting on March 17.
In their absence, the Afghan batting proved brittle against Muzarabani and Victor Nyauchi, the Zimbabwe new-ball bowlers who took seven wickets between them.
Afghanistan have a side loaded with spin bowlers, and they, too, found early success. Hamza Hotak, the left-arm spinner, was on a hat-trick when Zimbabwe were precariously placed on 38-4.
It was at that point that Williams and Sikandar Raza struck back, though. Zimbabwe’s most experienced batsmen put on 71 for the fifth wicket.
Raza chipped a catch to extra cover, to give Hotak his fourth wicket, but Williams was not out on 54 as Zimbabwe had edged into the lead by the close.
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RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
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England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
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Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
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Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
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India
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
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1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
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