Following Afghanistan’s narrow yet significant victory against Bangladesh, which secured their place in the T20 World Cup semi-final, the cricketing community expressed surprise at the dismissal of Afghan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib due to a hamstring injury sustained during the play.
Gulbadin Naib’s hamstring injury-related wicket against Bangladesh
The team lead by Rashid Khan received criticism for employing delaying tactics during the key game. The match was temporarily delayed when Naib slumped to the ground, claiming to have a hamstring injury, during the second innings. However, some individuals suspected him of feigning the injury.
The contentious mid-game action by the Afghan team faced examination due to its occurrence immediately after their head coach, Jonathan Trott, made a gesture to decelerate the pace of the game.
The criticism primarily came from Australian cricketers who were eliminated from the semifinals after Afghanistan’s triumph against the Tigers in the Super 8 match.
Naib seemed to have strained his hamstring, but Australian spinner Adam Zampa said that it was a recurring injury known as the “old rainstring”. Former England captain Michael Vaughan playfully mocked Gulbadin and commended him for being the first bowler to take a wicket after being injured by a gunshot.
“It is remarkable to witness Gulbadin become the inaugural cricketer in the annals of the sport to secure a wicket merely 25 minutes subsequent to being shot,” Vaughan said on X, now known as Twitter.
