A controversial moment marred the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh as rain threatened to disrupt the crucial encounter.
Afghanistan star cricketer Gulbadin Naib seemed to be faking an injury so as to delay the game against Bangladesh during one of the most dramatic scenes of the Super Eight fixture of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The incident occurred in the 12th over of a game that was already experiencing many weather delays owing to heavy rain, with Bangladesh batting at 81/7 and looking to chase Afghanistan’s target of 116 runs.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott instructed the players to slow it down as the sudden rain came back, suggesting telling them to find strategies for bowling as few deliveries as necessary from the dressing room.
However, Gulbadin Naib noticed it, and after that, he began to slip and suddenly grabbed his hamstring, allowing him to fall and garnering the umpire’s attention, which halted the game for some time. However, well-renowed cricket commentator Simon Doull was furious at what he was seeing and criticised the fact that such conduct had no place in cricket during his commentary on the game.
This has got to be the most funniest thing ever 🤣 Gulbadin Naib just breaks down after coach tells him to slow things down 🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/JdHm6MfwUp
— Sports Production (@SportsProd37) June 25, 2024
Notably, the Rashid Khan-led Afghans were just two runs above Bangladesh’s DLS par score at the time. In addition to this, if the match had been called off, Afghanistan would have advanced to the semifinals. The Bangla Tigers would have won if Afghanistan had bowled one more ball and Bangladesh had scored a boundary off it ahead of a washout or call-off.
Following this incident, skipper Rashid Khan appeared dissatisfied with Gulbadin Naib too. However, the game halted as the rain started to get heavy. Meanwhile, there was only a little interruption, and the game quickly restarted with only one over.
The incident has tarnished the rivalry’s spirit of sportsmanship during the play. Additionally, there is now a debate regarding fair play and ethical conduct in cricket owing to the purported attempt to impact the DLS system and Naib’s suspicious behaviour. Following the game, it seems that the match officials are going to make a crucial decision regarding this particular incident and may put charges against the 33-year-old batting all-rounder.
Also Read: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma involved in animated conversation during Bangladesh game
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
