In a pivotal Super Eight encounter of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Bangladesh on Tuesday, Afghanistan’s all-rounder Gulbadin Naib found himself at the centre of controversy.
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called for harsh punishment in response to the event, which involves an alleged “made-up” injury, sparking a controversy on social media. In reaction to Ashwin’s interpretation of the event, Naib has now provided a humorous answer.
By being the first cricket team from Afghanistan to go to the World Cup semifinals, they created history. They accomplished this achievement at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St. Vincent, where they defeated Bangladesh in a thrilling match.
Drama was present throughout the game, especially at one pivotal time when Naib seemed to injure his hamstring fielding in the slips. With Bangladesh at 81 for 7 and trailing by just two runs under the DLS technique, the event happened right before a rain break.
Coach Jonathan Trott of Afghanistan gave the team a signal to slow down the game as the drizzle started. Then, as Naib fell to the ground, cameras saw him clenching his hamstring. This move caused some people to scratch their heads, with many thinking it was a way to influence the result of the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s sarcastic appeal for a red card for Naib’s behaviour on the social media platform X (previously Twitter) escalated the debate. And Naib said, quite shrewdly, “Kabhi khushi kabhi gham main hota hai, Hamstring.”
Kabi khushi kabi gham main huta hai 🤣🤣
Hamstring 🤣 https://t.co/48jV4ESpuS— Gulbadin Naib (@GbNaib) June 25, 2024
I’m not sure what’s happening or what happened to him: Rashid Khan
Speaking about Naib’s injury, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said that the game barely changed as it resumed after just five minutes.
I’m not sure what happened to him or what’s going on in social media, but it doesn’t matter. He had some cramps. It’s not something that really altered the outcome of the game; it’s just an on-field injury that occurs. The rain arrived, and we simply left. After five minutes, we returned to the pitch, and nothing had changed significantly. At the press conference following the game, Khan stated, “For me, it’s just like a minor injury happens, then you have to take some time.”
Afghanistan’s narrow eight-run victory won them a ticket in the semifinals, where they will take against an undefeated South African team on July 27 in Trinidad, notwithstanding the controversy. India and England will play in the other semifinal in Guyana on the same day.
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