After a rain-shortened final day in Bulawayo on Monday, the first Test was drawn, with Zimbabwe rookie Brian Bennett and Afghanistan veteran Hashmatullah Shahidi taking centre stage. After a long innings, Shahidi scored a record 246 runs for Afghanistan, while spinner Bennett got five wickets. After the tourists scored 699, Zimbabwe led Afghanistan by 29 runs at stumps with scores of 586 and 142-4. National records were set by both first-inning scores. The undefeated duo of seasoned players Craig Ervine (22) and Sean Williams (35) gave Zimbabwe the batting steadiness they needed as they fell behind by 25 runs and were 88-4 in their second innings. 

Shahidi left after Bennett, whose 5-95 were the best numbers among the six-man Zimbabwe assault, trapped him leg before leg. At Queens Sports Club in the southwest city, the 30-year-old left-hander hit 21 fours while facing 474 balls in 694 minutes.