Afghanistan�s pace attack seized the initiative at the Dubai International Stadium on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup final on Thursday, but Neil McCallum led a fightback which saw Scotland recover from 57 for five and 97 for eight to reach the comparative respectability of 212. The Afghans had reached 18 for one by the close.

It was all Afghanistan in the opening session, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Mirwais Ashraf grabbing five Scottish wickets between them after Gordon Drummond had won the toss and elected to bat.

It might not have been quite as dramatic as events in the Intercontinental Shield final along the road at the Global Cricket Academy, where the UAE were bowled out for 79 just eight deliveries after lunch and had conceded a lead of 188 by the end of the day, but the Afghan seamers nevertheless combined to ensure that Scotland would face an uphill battle after just two hours of this five-day game.

Having, unusually, taken the new ball, Hamid bowled unchanged for three and a quarter hours, his 22 overs, with seven maidens, costing just 40 runs as he claimed two of the first three wickets to fall and then picked up another in the afternoon session. He removed first Preston Mommsen and then Kyle Coetzer, with Shapoor dismissing Fraser Watts in between to leave the Scots reeling on 19 for three.

His marathon effort came, however, at the price of a painfully slow Afghan over rate: they managed just 27 overs in the first two hours, and by tea, despite four overs from off-spinner Mohammad Nabi, had fallen further behind the target rate.

At lunch the Scots were on 61 for five, Mirwais Ashraf having replaced Shapoor and chipped in by breaking a promising little stand from Richie Berrington and Neil McCallum by having Berrington caught behind by Mohammad Shahzad � the second of four catches for the Afghan keeper � for a defiant 29, and then trapping Gregor Maiden leg-before.

It had been a great morning for the Afghans, who went into the game as strong favourites, and they tightened their grip after lunch when Mirwais got a second LBW decision, this time against Matthew Parker, and Hamid took a deserved third wicket, a fine catch by Samiullah Shenwari to dismiss Majid Haq.

But Neil McCallum, so often the Scots' saviour, stood firm at the other end, and after Shapoor had returned to remove Gordon Drummond to reduce the Scots to 97 for eight, he found a reliable partner in wicketkeeper Simon Smith. These two put together a record-breaking stand of 107, passing first the Scottish record for the ninth wicket in first-class cricket - which Smith himself had set with Drummond against Canada in 2009 - and then the record for all international matches, held by Jan Stander and John Blain.

Afghan skipper Nawrooz Mangal turned to his spinners in an effort to break the partnership, but in the end he was forced to revert to his pace men and take the new ball. It was, inevitably, Hamid who achieved the breakthrough as Smith, having made 36 from 114 deliveries, edged to Shahzad, and it fell to Ross Lyons to hold up one end as McCallum, now on 96, attempted to complete his third first-class century.

He did so with a four off Mirwais, but in his next over Hamid dismissed Lyons to finish with five for 45, his fifth five-wicket haul in just eight first-class matches, and Scotland were all out for 212. McCallum's undefeated 104 had come from 221 deliveries in some five and a half hours, with 17 boundaries.

Hamid bowled consistently well, but Mirwais (three for 53) and Shapoor (two for 46) also played their part.

Scotland had elected to go into the match with three spinners: Majid Haq, Ross Lyons and Maiden, and that could work in their favour should they get an opportunity to bowl at Afghanistan in the final innings. But for that to happen, they will need to bowl extremely well when Afghanistan bats, and then show a great deal more resolution in their own second knock.

Matthew Parker got them off to a good start in the four overs they were able to bowl before the close, clean bowling Shabir Noori. The Afghans have plenty of batting, however, and if their approach in those four overs in any guide they will go out on Friday fully intending to play their shots.

Day 1 Close 

Scotland 1st Innings 212 All Out (Overs 88.4)  NFI McCallum 104* SJS Smith 36 Hamid Hassan 5-45 Mirwais Ashraf 3-53  

Afghanistan 1st Innings 18/1 (Overs 4)
______________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Kola Burger and Louis Klazinga demolished the UAE on the opening morning of the Shield Final after Craig Williams chose to bowl first. With Burger taking six for 37 and Klazinga two for 35, the Namibian new ball pair bowled almost throughout the session, ripping through the hapless Emirati batting. The Emiratis were on 78 for nine by lunch, and Burger took the last wicket with the addition of only one run, finishing with seven for 38.

There were five ducks in the UAE innings, and only Shaiman Anwar and Naeemuddin Aslam reached double figures, Naeem top scoring with 38.

The Namibian reply began badly when Raymond van Schoor was run out in the second over with only five on the board, but then Ewald Steenkamp (66) and Sahel Burger (73 not out) put on exactly 100 for the second wicket. Williams compounded the Emiratis' misery with a magnificent 116, made from 102 balls with 17 fours and two sixes, dominating a third-wicket partnership of 161 with Burger.

By the close Namibia had reached 267 for three, and were in complete control of the game.