Afghanistan batting coach Toby Radford believes opener Sediqullah Atal reaped the rewards of crucial technical adjustments during the drawn one-off Test against Bangladesh. Entering the final day needing seven wickets, Bangladesh appeared poised for victory, but the left-handed batsman anchored a stubborn resistance. Bangladesh needed seven wickets on the final day and looked firm favourites to seal the game. However, the left-handed opener displayed remarkable composure and determination to defy the odds. “He also picked length well against the spinners and had a good stride forward and back.
Atal delivered a patient 111 off 332 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes to record his maiden Test century. Radford, who dedicated significant time to refining the white-ball specialist’s defensive technique, noted that the player corrected flaws from his first-innings dismissal.
Reflecting on the match, Radford explained that Atal previously suffered by reaching for wider deliveries and remaining stuck on the crease. During his fifth-day knock, however, the batter adjusted his guard, ensuring his head and weight moved directly down the pitch to leave dangerous deliveries and handle spinners more effectively. According to radford, Following the game that Atal paid the price of playing at wider deliveries in the first inning as it got him caught on the crease, a thing he deliberately avoided during his second essay. He is at his best when his weight is coming down rather than across the wicket – he did that beautifully in this wonderful innings today,” he added. “The challenge is being able to control sessions. We had some sessions where let it slip and then we had to play catch-up cricket, for us as a side.
Meanwhile, head coach Richard Pybus deflected personal praise, emphasizing that all credit belongs to Atal and Radford. Pybus highlighted that Atal overcame a brief slump through intense preparation, and commended Radford for providing precise, non-intrusive technical guidance that helped the squad achieve its target of recording major centuries. Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus refused to take any credit for Atal’s brilliant batting. “I’m not going to claim any glory for that (Sediq’s hundred) and I think all credit goes to Toby Radford and Sediq,” Pybus told reporters in the post-match presser.
