After Afghanistan knocked Australia out of the T20 World Cup with a win over Bangladesh in a Super 8 match, the 'Spirit of Cricket' has come under scrutiny. The discussion was sparked by Gulbadin Naib's dramatic fall during the match, which coincided with the onset of rain.
Afghanistan's historic eight-run victory over Bangladesh secured their first-ever semifinal spot in the tournament, eliminating both Australia and Bangladesh from contention.
Despite Adam Zampa and others criticising Gulbadin Naib's injury, Australian captain Mitch Marsh described the incident as "one of the funniest things I've ever seen on a cricket field."
"I was almost in tears laughing, and in the end, it didn't affect the game," Marsh said, as reported by cricket.com. "We can laugh about it now, but wow, it was funny. Gulbadin Naib did a fantastic job."
Bangladesh, chasing 115 in a rain-affected match with multiple interruptions, initially matched the DLS par score but fell behind by two runs in the 12th over when rain returned. The target was revised to 114 runs from fewer overs. Just before the rain delay, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott saw signalling to slow down play to maintain their advantage over the DLS par score, coinciding with Gulbadin Naib's fall.
Afterwards, Afghan players lightened the mood on social media, with Gulbadin Naib posting a photo with the team physiotherapist captioned "Wonders can happen."
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan downplayed the incident, stating, "He had a bit of cramp... it doesn't matter."