Zimbabwe witnessed a memorable day in Test cricket as two of its experienced batters – Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine, created history with outstanding performances against Afghanistan in the first Test at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
On Monday (November 9), Brendan Taylor became the second oldest cricketer in the world to win a Player of the Match award in men’s Test cricket. The 41-year-old played a crucial role for Zimbabwe, batting at No. 3 in both innings and scoring 131 runs in the first innings and 82 in the second.
Brendan Taylor faced 168 deliveries in his first innings and struck 14 fours and four sixes to help Zimbabwe post a massive total of 504 runs in 134.3 overs. He continued his impressive form in the second innings, scoring 82 runs off just 88 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes. His valuable contributions in both innings earned him the Player of the Match award in the series opener. At the time, he was 40 years and 272 days old.
Former England captain and batter Graham Gooch remains the oldest player to receive a Player of the Match award in men’s Test cricket. He achieved the feat at the age of 40 years and 314 days after scoring 210 runs against New Zealand in Nottingham in 1994.
Brendan Taylor was not the only Zimbabwean batter to make headlines in the match. Craig Ervine produced another remarkable performance by scoring an unbeaten 206 runs in the second innings. His double century made him the third oldest player in the history of Test cricket to score 200 or more runs in an innings.
South Africa’s Eric Rowan holds the record as the oldest batter to score a Test double century. He was 42 years and six days old when he scored 236 against England in 1951. England legend Jack Hobbs occupies the second position after scoring 211 against South Africa at the age of 41 years and 195 days in 1924.
Craig Ervine’s outstanding innings also helped him achieve two major milestones in Zimbabwean cricket. He became the oldest batter to score a Test century for Zimbabwe and the fifth player from the country to register a double century in the longest format.
The previous Zimbabwean batter to score a double century in Test cricket was Andy Flower. He achieved the milestone in 2006 with an unbeaten 232-run innings against India in Nagpur. Craig Ervine’s unbeaten 206 is also the third highest individual score by a Zimbabwean batter in Test cricket, making his performance even more special.
A memorable Test match for Zimbabwean batters!
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