Afghanistan 273 for 9 (Stanikzai 51, Nabi 51, Roland-Jones 5-73) trail England Lions 279 (Westley 84, Foakes 70, Alsop 40, Rashid Khan 4-48) by six runs
Scorecard
Toby Roland-Jones claimed five wickets for England Lions © Getty Images
Toby Roland-Jones led from the front as England Lions battled for a first-innings lead on the second day of their first-class match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
The Middlesex bowler, who was appointed the Lions’ third captain in four matches in the UAE following Keaton Jennings and Nick Gubbins, took 5 for 73 as the Afghans reached 273 for 9 in reply to a Lions total of 279.
It was the 15th five-wicket haul of his first-class career and his second in consecutive matches, after he completed figures of 6 for 54 with a famous hat-trick in his last first-class appearance to seal the Specsavers County Championship at Lord’s in September.
He received good support from his Middlesex team-mate Ollie Rayner and Surrey’s Tom Curran, who each took two wickets and an excellent catch in another impressive Lions fielding display.
The day had started badly for the Lions as they lost the last wicket in their first innings without adding to the overnight total of 279, as Jack Leach was pinned lbw by Yamin Ahmadzai – leaving Curran unbeaten on 18.
So they needed to start well with the ball, and Roland-Jones delivered as Afghanistan’s opener Javed Ahmadi edged a catch to Ben Foakes in the fifth over.
But the rest of the morning session belonged to the Afghans as Raimat Shah joined Ihsanullah to take the score to 72 for 1, despite an impressive but luckless five-over burst from the younger of the Curran brothers in the team, Sam.
It was Rayner who changed the mood after lunch. First he had Raimat pulling a short ball to midwicket, where Tom Westley took a sharp catch, and off the first ball of the next over Rayner dived to his right at second slip to give Roland-Jones the wicket of Ihsanullah.
Roland-Jones was indebted to another brilliant catch for his third wicket, this time by Tom Curran diving to his right at mid-on to dismiss Nasir Jamal.
But again Afghanistan hit back, this time with a fifth-wicket stand of 74 between Hashmatullah Shahidi and Asghar Stanikzai, their experienced captain.
Again it was Rayner who was the partnership breaker, this time pinning Shahidi leg before. In the next over Roland-Jones bowled Stanikzai for an excellent 51, and three balls later had Karim Janat pouched by Liam Livingstone at first slip.
That left the Afghans on 175 for 7, with all the wickets taken by Middlesex bowlers. Afsar Zazai then joined Mohammad Nabi, the elder statesman of their side, to frustrate the Lions with an eighth-wicket stand of 51.
The Middlesex monopoly was finally broken by Surrey’s Tom Curran, who had Zazai lbw before bowling Nabi for a defiant and entertaining 51.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo