Craig Ervine produced a remarkable unbeaten century at the age of 41 to become Zimbabwe's oldest-ever Test centurion during the first Test against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

His 140-run partnership with debutant Antum Naqvi helped Zimbabwe extend their second-innings lead to 365 runs and put the contest beyond Afghanistan's reach.

Craig Ervine delivered a memorable performance in the first Test against Afghanistan, scoring an unbeaten century to put Zimbabwe in a commanding position on the final day. The 41-year-old left-hander showed tremendous composure on a deteriorating Sharjah surface, frustrating the Afghan bowling attack with a disciplined batting display.

Ervine’s knock also carried significant historical importance, as he became the oldest Test centurion in Zimbabwe’s history. His performance, which helped Zimbabwe move towards a draw after a high-scoring contest, attracted attention from cricket fans.

Craig Ervine becomes Zimbabwe’s oldest-ever Test centurion

Ervine produced a composed unbeaten century in Zimbabwe’s second innings after the visitors had struggled early in their innings. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 100, striking 16 boundaries and two sixes to guide his team through a challenging phase against Afghanistan’s spin attack. His ability to rotate the strike and find boundaries ensured that Zimbabwe maintained control during the final day’s play.

The defining moment of his innings came through a 140-run partnership with debutant Antum Naqvi. The pair frustrated Afghanistan’s bowlers across the final day, steadily extending Zimbabwe’s lead and leaving the hosts with little opportunity to force a result. Ervine’s century made him the oldest Test centurion in Zimbabwe’s history and the second-oldest player overall to achieve the milestone in men’s Test cricket.

Zimbabwe recover after Afghanistan take first-innings lead

The first Test witnessed a major batting effort from both sides, with Zimbabwe posting 504 in their first innings. Brendan Taylor scored 131, while Brian Bennett contributed 128 to help the visitors register a commanding total. Afghanistan responded with 514, taking a narrow 10-run lead after centuries from Sediqullah Atal and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, while captain Rahmat Shah led the innings with 173.

Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s standout bowler, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul with figures of 5/82. However, Afghanistan’s first-innings advantage put pressure on Zimbabwe, who lost their opening batters early in their second innings after Zia-ur-Rehman struck twice. Taylor then steadied the innings with 82, while captain Bennett added 58 to rebuild the innings. Ervine carried that momentum forward alongside Naqvi, helping Zimbabwe reach 375/5 and extend their overall lead to 365 runs by the final day.

Ervine’s century puts Zimbabwe in control

With Zimbabwe establishing a substantial lead and little time remaining, Afghanistan faced a difficult task to force a victory. Ervine’s unbeaten century and his partnership with Naqvi ensured that the visitors could dictate the closing stages of the contest rather than take unnecessary risks.

The high-scoring encounter at Sharjah Cricket Stadium ultimately ended in a draw, with both teams unable to secure a decisive result. The two sides will now turn their attention to the second Test at the same venue, where Afghanistan will look to make better use of their batting performances and Zimbabwe will aim to carry forward the confidence gained from Ervine’s historic knock.

Here’s how fans reacted:

5th Test ton for Craig Ervine 💯🔥#CraigErvine #AFGvZIM pic.twitter.com/neiXNov5UB

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) November 9, 2026

The feeling of scoring a Test century…Craig Ervine 😍

#AFGvZIM 📝:https://t.co/FkxGtToFdu pic.twitter.com/7KO2mEW2D6

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) November 9, 2026

Fair to say that Craig Ervine is Zimbabwe's best Test and ODI batsman right now.

— larry kwirirayi ✍📔 (@kwirirayi) November 9, 2026

🚨 TEST HUNDRED FOR 41-YEARS OLD CRAIG ERVINE 🚨

Craig Ervine is 41 years old and he scored a fantastic Hundred against Afghanistan in the Test Match – Take a bow, Craig Ervine. 💯 pic.twitter.com/iMBH9e7pW3

— CricWorld (@cricworld777) November 9, 2026

🚨 SIX HUNDREDS IN A SINGLE TEST MATCH! 🤯

– Hundred for Taylor
– Hundred for Bennett
– Hundred for Sediqullah
– Hundred for Rahmanullah
– Hundred for Rahmat Shah
– Hundred for Craig Ervine pic.twitter.com/onFMRxcnWT

— ACB Xtra (@acb_190) November 9, 2026

Day 1 – Brendan Taylor becomes oldest Zimbabwe player to score a, test century at 40 year 272 days

Day 5 – Craig Ervine becomes the oldest Zimbabwe player to score a test century at 41 year 82 days.

Apart from that The test is certainly ending in draw with 6 centuries#AFGvZIM pic.twitter.com/q2RhbrjCLj

— 🅰️BHIJEET (@TheYorkerBall) November 9, 2026

Craig Ervine records his 5th Test 100 and equals former Zimbabwe skipper Hamilton Masakadza #AFGvZIM #AFGvsZIM pic.twitter.com/Kr8qi44Z0d

— sudharshan sridharan (@sudharshansrid1) November 9, 2026

🚨 TEST HUNDRED FOR 41-YEARS OLD CRAIG ERVINE 🚨

Craig Ervine is 41 years old and he scored a fantastic Hundred against Afghanistan in the Test Match – Take a bow, Craig Ervine. 💯 pic.twitter.com/0Z9xmFCE3J

— CricGlobal (@CricGlobal000) November 9, 2026

Now, 41-year-old Craig Ervine becomes the 2nd oldest to record a Century in Tests since 2000.

Earlier, in the 1st inns 40-year-old Brendan Taylor smashed a Century #AFGvZIM #AFGvsZIM pic.twitter.com/SKX90gDjJQ

— sudharshan sridharan (@sudharshansrid1) November 9, 2026

🚨 TEST HUNDRED FOR 41-YEARS OLD CRAIG ERVINE 🚨

Craig Ervine is 41 years old and he scored a fantastic Hundred against Afghanistan in the Test Match – Take a bow, Craig Ervine. 💯 pic.twitter.com/lEUs3wNw0t

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) November 9, 2026