Watch: Gulbadin Naib suddenly held his hamstring, seemingly feigning pain, a few moments after head coach Jonathan Trott signalled for Afghanistan to slow down the game with the team ahead of the DLS par-score as the rain started following in a crucial fixture against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup.
There was all to play for in the Afghanistan-Bangladesh clash in the last game of the Super Eight. Bangladesh needed to chase 116 in 12.1 overs or less to qualify for the semi-final, while Afghanistan needed at least one point to overtake Australia and qualify for the top four.
After a topsy-turvy battle, Afghanistan, who had been behind the DLS par score for most of the innings, jumped ahead by two runs after Rashid Khan dismissed Mahmudullah and Rishad Hossain off successive deliveries in the 11th over. The next four balls went for just one run.
Bangladesh were 81-7 in 11.4 overs when the rain came down again. Trott signalled his team from the sidelines to slow down the game as the screens flashed that Afghanistan were two runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.
Almost on cue, Gulbadin Naib, fielding at slip, clutched his hamstring and lay on his stomach, writhing in pain as play was held up, leading to amusement all around. What made it worse was that Naib immediately gestured towards coach Jonathan Trott, seemingly acknowledging his message.
Skipper Rashid Khan was not amused at the antics and was seen screaming at Naib for time-wasting. Simon Doull criticised Naib on air: “Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. Can’t have this. I’m not accepting that,” Doull said. “Not accepting that. Even Rashid doesn’t like it. I like that from Rashid Khan. He doesn’t like that play either. It’s just delay tactics. I get it, but I don’t like that at all. Bangladesh behind by two. The coach sends a message out to say, slow it down, slow it down and the first slip just dives on the ground needlessly. That is unacceptable.”
The incident prevented a ball from being bowled before the umpires decided to walk off the field as the covers were put on, though play was held up for only seven minutes. When the two teams returned, Naib was not on the field, but he bowled later, picking up the wicket of Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
The incident divided social media, with several saying Afghanistan had gone too far while a few others applauded the team for doing whatever it took to go for a win.
Red card for Gulbadin Naib😂😂😂
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) June 25, 2024
This is Unacceptable ❌
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) June 25, 2024
This is cheating from Afghanistan ❌
Bangladesh scored 81 Runs before the rain and they were only 2 Runs behind par score and Gulbadin Naib do this to avoid Bangladesh victory on DLS
Once a cheater always a Cheater pic.twitter.com/oEnVPlcFCP
Massive respect for Gulbadin Naib. The commentators and pundits bullying him can keep their "Spirit of Cricket" to themselves. He did what he thought was best for his team knowing it would look terrible. THAT is the Spirit of Cricket. Or any team sport for that matter.
— Naman Agarwal (@CoverDrivenFor4) June 25, 2024
Gulbadin Naib was struggling to walk at 10.01am.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 25, 2024
- He was running the fastest at 10.34am when Afghanistan won. 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/KRv3mOyU9O
Most would have stopped the bowler and tied a shoelace, but Gulbadin Naib took it to the next level. :D
— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) June 25, 2024
Afghanistan ended up winning by eight runs to qualify for their first-ever World Cup semi-final. After the game, Rashid provided an update on Naib's "injury", saying, "Naib had some cramps, hopefully he will be alright", with a wry smile.
Watch Gulbadin Naib going down in pain here:
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