'Naveen-ul-Haq, you did say...' - Nicholas Pooran takes subtle dig at LSG captain KL Rahul

West Indies and Lucknow Super Giants keeper-batter Nicholas Pooran took a subtle dig at skipper of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise KL Rahul. This comes after Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq delivered a sensational performance with a new ball against Australia in T20 World Cup 2024.

Naveen-ul-Haq was one of the main architects behind the win of Afghanistan in the Super 8 stage of the tournament against Australia. The fast bowler was handed the responsibility to bowl with the new ball and he came up with an exceptional effort that set the tone for Australia.

After Afghanistan posted a total of 148 runs on the board, Naveen-ul-Haq gave his team a dream start. The fast bowler on the third ball of the over, came with a peach that made Travis Head look clueless as he made the ball talk and left the batters stunned to send him packing for a three-ball duck.

Naveen-ul-Haq, however, didn't stop there as in his second over, he went on to remove Australia captain Mitchell Marsh. He bowled a slower ball that outfoxed the batter and made him play the false shot. The right-hander managed just 12 runs off 9 balls as the pacer took his team off to a flying start.

Naveen-ul-Haq with the new ball was sensational as he troubled the batters big time with his impeccable lines and lengths. He then returned in the backend of the innings and went on to remove Ashton Agar to take three wickets and return with the figures of 3/20 in his 4 overs against Australia.

As Naveen-ul-Haq produced a sensational effort with the new ball, Nicholas Pooran, who plays with the pacer in Lucknow Super Giants, came up with a cryptic message as he applauded the fast bowler. Talking to his Instagram account, he posted the picture of a fast bowler with the caption: "You did say if you get the new ball you will do it".

Here's the post:

Notably, at the Lucknow Super Giants, skipper KL Rahul didn't trust the pacer with the new ball. The Afghanistan fast bowler mostly used to bowl in the middle overs and the death.

The way Naveen bowled, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted - Gulabin Naib in awe of Afghanistan's team effort

After the sensational new ball spell by Naveen-ul-Haq, Gulbadin Naib came up with a magnificent effort with the ball. He took four wickets in a flash as Afghanistan bundled out Australia for 127 runs to win the game by 21 runs at the T20 World Cup 2024.

Gulbadin Naib, who won the Player of the Match, said that it was a great moment for Afghanistan. He lauded the efforts of Naveen-ul-Haq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60), and Ibrahim Zadran (51) and stated that their journey has started.

"We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last 2 months, and the result is in front of you. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on, the ball was too bouncy. I took two wickets early on and carried that on later. Thanks to Rashid for trusting me. This was a complete team effort.

"The way Naveen bowled, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted. We beat Australia at last! It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history isn’t too much so this is a great achievement. We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management and I’m very fortunate to have this team. Every game is important, we will rest tomorrow and think about it,"