Rashid Khan defends Gulbadin Naib over injury drama after Afghanistan clinches first-ever semifinal berth

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan came out in support of his teammate Gulbadin Naib amid controversy over the star all-rounder’s apparent injury during the crucial Super 8 clash against Bangladesh in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

The Afghanistan cricket team recorded a thrilling win over Bangladesh by eight runs via the DLS method to qualify for the semifinals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. They qualified for their first-ever semifinal of the World Cup.

However, this historic moment was overshadowed by controversy when Naib seemingly grabbed his hamstring and fell to the ground just before a rain interruption during Bangladesh's chase on Tuesday, June 25.

Gulbadin Naib's injury sparks debate amid Afghanistan's dramatic win over Bangladesh

Notably, Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to bat first, and they found themselves in a precarious position against the Bangladesh cricket team. The Afghan batters struggled against a disciplined Bangladesh bowling attack and managed to post a modest total of only 115 runs.

Despite the underwhelming batting performance, Afghanistan’s bowling attack led by captain Rashid turned the game around and helped the team to script history in the tournament.

Rashid and Naveen-ul-Haq have both taken four wickets each to restrict Bangladesh to 105 while chasing the revised target of 114 runs in 19 overs at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St. Vincent.

The Super-8 match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh witnessed three rain interruptions, with Gulbadin Naib’s injury happening at a crucial moment when both teams had an equal chance of winning the match.

Well, the former Afghanistan skipper’s apparent hamstring issue and subsequent fall raised many eyebrows, with many claiming it was a fake injury and slamming the all-rounder for his act.

Rashid Khan shuts down controversy after Afghanistan's historic ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal qualification

However, Rashid downplayed the controversy, describing Naib's injury as a routine on-field injury. The star spinner has also stressed that Naib’s cramp had no significant impact on the outcome of the crucial Super-8 clash at St. Vincent.

The Afghanistan skipper also noted that the team did not lose any overs due to the incident and insisted that the incident did not change the match's dynamics and was just an unfortunate yet normal injury on the ground.

Rashid Khan said at the post-match press conference: “Well, I think he had some cramp. I don't know what happened to him. I don't know what's going on on social media. But that doesn't matter. It's just an on-field injury. We didn't lose any overs, rain came, and we just went off (the field).

It's not something that made any massive difference in the game. We came back on to the field in 5 minutes, and there was no massive difference. For me, it was just an injury and needed some time.”

Notably, Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 on June 27 at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago. The Proteas team is currently in red-hot form and is the only unbeaten team alongside India in the tournament. The second semifinal will be played between India and England on the same day.