Afghanistan's seamers bundled the Nethelands out for just 117 on day one of their Intercontinental Cup match in Voorburg, before Rahmat Shah and Nasir Jamal ensured the visitors took the first innings honours, passing the Dutch total for the loss of two wickets, Afghanistan eventually closing the day with a 28-run first innings lead with six wickets in hand.

After Asghar Stanikzai won a crucial toss and elected to insert the hosts on an unsettled morning at Sportpark Westvliet, Yamin Ahmadzai and Dawlat Zadran exposed the fragility of the Dutch top order and pressed home the advantage ruthlessly. Zadran struck with the third innings of the match to remove Stephan Myburgh, who'd set out with beligerent intent only to top edge an attempted cut through to Mohammad Shahzad for a duck.

Tim Gruijters followed soon after, trapped LBW by Zadran who'd switched tactics to pitch the ball up to the recently recalled number three. Afghanistan had seemingly done their homework and the host's lack of true 4-day openers showed yet again.
Michael Rippon again looked closest to comfortable, making a hard-fought 24 before getting one with his name on it from Ahmadzai with the score on 47, but by then Peter Borren and Roelof van der Merwe had preceded him back to the pavilion and the innings was in free-fall.

It wasn't until Pieter Seelaar arrived at number 7 that some sign of resistance appeared, and together with Mudassar Bukhari he added 36 runs to take the total to 88-7. Bukhari was determined to take on the bowling however, and despite some early success would inevitably perish in the attempt, nicking Zadran to first slip on the drive to become his third wicket, before debutant Shane Snater made the same mistake, skying an attempted pull to second four balls later and giving Zadran his fourth.

Paul van Meekeren kept Seelaar company for longer, seeing off 36 deliveries as the pair added 29, but Ahmadzai returned to complete his five-wicket haul, clean bowling van Meekeren and Vivian Kingma in short order to leave Seelaar stranded on 38 and the Dutch all out before Tea.

The Afghanistan innings very nearly kicked off the same way however, as Mohammad Shahzad miscued the third ball Bukhari's opening over to Snater at mid off only to be reprieved by the call of no-ball, and together with debutant Ihsanullah saw Afghanistan to Tea without loss.

The Dutch fought back hard after the break however, and Vivian Kingma, on his home ground, produced a spell of 2-18 in his six overs after the interval to give the local element of the crowd something to cheer for. Jamal and Shah would put paid to any faint hope of salvaging the first innings points however, putting together the day's first 50 partnership in admirably steady fashion.

A regulation nick to second slip from Jamal off Snater the next ball might have ended the partnership there, but the chance went begging. The two would go on to pass the Dutch total, assuring Afghanistan of a minimum of six point from the match even were they to go on to lose, before van der Merwe found the breakthrough by way of Jamal's outside edge and the hands of Borren at first slip.

Rippon's left arm wrist spin would likewise find reward, clean bowling Shah with a ripper right after he'd brought up his fifty. Stanikzai and Hashmatullah Shaidi saw out the rest of the day without further incident however, and with a 28-run lead and six wickets in hand will look tomorrow to press the advantage and bat the Dutch out of the match entirely.

Their hosts still showed plenty of fight however, even at the tail end of an extended evening session, and with a fairly long Afghan tail only a couple of wickets away will back their bowlers to limit the first innings damage to something approaching manageable. With three days still to play the match is far from over, but the Dutch face an long uphill struggle to even get back in the fight.