In the final Super Eights fixture of the tournament, the two sides met at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, with a spot in the semi-finals up for grabs for both of them. Afghanistan had to win the match, while Bangladesh needed to do so by a specific margin. If Bangladesh won, but not by that margin, Australia would make it to the final four instead.
Afghanistan chose to bat first, and posted 115-5 in their 20 overs. Bangladesh had to chase the total down in 12.1 overs to qualify for the semi-finals, and took up the task. The result of their quick scoring was that they remained ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) par score at various points of the innings, meaning that a match abandonment due to rain would see them win.
Watch: Denied strike, furious Rashid Khan hurls bat mid-pitch
The scenario changed when Rashid Khan took two wickets in the 11th over, driving up the par score for Bangladesh. In the next over, Bangladesh were two runs behind the par score when the rain started to fall, and Gulbadin Naib appeared to cramp up just after Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott asked his players to slow the game down to ensure they could win in case of a washout.
Naib's theatrical hitting the deck did not go down well with everyone, as several fans and experts expressed their displeasure at the maneouvre, suggesting his actions were deliberate time-wasting. In any case, the rain delay was quite short and Afghanistan ended up getting back on the field to secure an eight-run win.
A few hours after the match, Naib took to X (formerly Twitter), engaging in some banter with Indian off-spinner R Ashwin who had commented "Red card for Gulbadin Naib" when the Afghanistan man went down. Naib responded in Hindi, translating to "It happens sometimes, in happiness and in sadness," accompanied by several cry-laughing emojis.
Kabi khushi kabi gham main huta hai 🤣🤣
— Gulbadin Naib (@GbNaib) June 25, 2024
Hamstring 🤣 https://t.co/48jV4ESpuS
When quizzed about the incident after the match, captain Rashid Khan downplayed it, saying it made "no massive difference" to the game. Afghanistan will now take on South Africa in Tarouba on June 26, in a historic semi-final for the nation.
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