Ervine, Raza and Williams extend Zimbabwe's advantage

Fifties from skipper Craig Ervine (75 off 165) and Sikandar Raza (61 off 104) followed by a crucial cameo from Sean Williams (49 off 52) meant that Zimbabwe continued to be in the box seat on the second day of the second Test against Afghanistan in Bulawayo.

Zimbabwe ended with a first innings score of 243, which meant a handy lead of 86, and then had Afghanistan struggling at 46/3 by the close of play.

Resuming the day at 6/0, the hosts lost two quick wickets in the first 30 minutes. Opener Joylord Gumbie edged one to second slip off Fareed Ahmad while Yamin Ahmadzai had Takudzwanashe Kaitano for a duck strangled down the leg-side. Fareed got Ben Curran cheaply while Ahmadzai dislodged Dion Myers to have Zimbabwe at 41/4.

Raza and Ervine combined to steady Zimbabwe, adding 71 for the fifth wicket with Raza being the aggressor. The all-rounder slotted in at No.4 and was positive from the outset, ensuring that scoring opportunities weren't missed. Ervine, meanwhile, dug in and played second fiddle as the pair blunted Afghanistan's threat.

The partnership was broken by left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman who castled Raza. This triggered a mini-collapse as Zimbabwe slipped from 112/4 to 147/7. Rashid Khan (4-94) proved a handful, slicing through the lower order and also nipping out Ervine. At one point, Zimbabwe were in danger of finishing with a very slender lead but Williams then stepped up, striking eight boundaries in his enterprising knock.

With strong momentum on their side, Zimbabwe ended the day on a high with three wickets before Stumps. Blessing Muzarabani removed the Afghanistan openers Abdul Malik and Riaz Hassan cheaply while Raza knocked over Hashmatullah Shahidi to leave the tourists tottering.