"Afghanistan still suffering a bit of cramp"- Australian legend mocks Gulbadin Naib's scandal after loss to South Africa

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg mocked the Afghanistan team after their loss to the South African team in the first semi-final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Brad Hogg indirectly mentioned Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib's injury drama against Bangladesh in their last Super Eight match.

Afghanistan defeated the Australian team by 21 runs in their Super 8 match. The Rashid Khan-led team defeated Bangladesh in their final Super Eight match to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time. The Mitchell Marsh-led team was eliminated from the tournament without reaching the top four stages.

Gulbadin Naib garnered attention from cricket enthusiasts and experts for faking a hamstring injury during the match against Bangladesh. Afghanistan's head coach, Jonathan Trott, instructed the Afghan players to slow the game down. Naib, stationed at slip, suddenly fell to the ground and called for medical assistance.

Afghanistan Still Suffering A Bit Of Cramp - Brad Hogg

Following the match between Afghanistan and South Africa, Brad Hogg took to the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to mock the Afghanistan team. Hogg commented that Afghanistan was still suffering from a bit of cramp while praising South Africa's performance as "on fire."

"Afghanistan still suffering a bit of cramp, limited footwork. @ProteasMenCSA  on fire. #T20WorldCup2024 #SAvAFG," Hogg tweeted.

Afghanistan still suffering a bit of cramp, limited footwork. @ProteasMenCSA on fire. #T20WorldCup2024 #SAvAFG

— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) June 27, 2024

An Afghanistan fan replied to Brad Hogg's tweet, stating, "Beating Australia & qualifying them to Sydney Airport is world cup for us Remember 23 June." Brad Hogg responded with, "Love the come back."

Love the come back. 👍 https://t.co/Qpxj7BABz4

— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) June 27, 2024

Marco Jansen Bags "Player of the Match" Award For His Bowling Performance

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan chose to bat first after winning the toss in the semifinal at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday, June 26 (local time). In-form batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed by left-arm pacer Marco Jansen for a duck in the first over of the knockout match.

The Afghanistan batters failed to put up a fight against experienced South African pacers. They lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for just 56 runs. This marked the lowest-ever total in a semifinal match of T20 World Cups. Azmatullah Omarzai was the only batter to reach double digits.

Marco Jansen picked up three wickets for 16 runs in his three overs. Kagiso Rabada (2/14) and Anrich Nortje (2/7) also made useful contributions with the ball during the match. Tabraiz Shamsi ran through the tail and grabbed three wickets for just six runs in his 1.5 overs to bundle out the opposition team.

South Africa comfortably chased down the target despite losing an early wicket. Reeza Hendricks (29*) and Aiden Markram (23*) led the team to victory in less than nine overs. The Proteas will now face the winner of the India vs England semifinal match in the final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.

Also read: "People are scared to bowl to him" - South African cricketers hail Heinrich Klaasen ahead of semifinal vs Afghanistan