Afghanistan managed to clinch an eight-run victory via the DLS method, securing their first-ever World Cup semi-final spot and eliminating Australia from the tournament.They will now face South Africa in the semi-finals.
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Rashid Khan, speaking at the post-match press conference, downplayed the impact of Naib’s injury on the game.
When questioned by a Bangladeshi journalist about the incident and its negative reception on social media, Rashid responded, “Well, he had some cramps or something. I don’t know what happened to him and I don’t know what’s going on in social media. But that doesn’t matter; it’s just a field injury, and we haven’t lost any overs. The rain came, and we just went off. It’s not something that brought a massive difference in the game. We came back on the field after 5 minutes, and there was no massive difference. For me, it’s just like a small injury, and you just have to take some time.”
The journalist also asked Rashid about Australia’s support for Bangladesh during the match, to which he replied, “Well, definitely, if we were in the place of Australia we would have supported the same team because what you want is to go ahead in the competition and you support the opposite team which can put you in the semis. So, we knew the support will be right there. We played good cricket, right cricket and I think we deserve to be in the semis.”
Rashid expressed his relief and belief in their victory only after the final Bangladeshi wicket fell. He remarked, “When we got the last wicket, then I believed that we won the game. In T20, anything is possible, any batter can score any runs. We believe that till the last wicket we take, we don’t need to be relaxed and think about having won the game. In a low-scoring game, you can’t be very relaxed; you have to be very accurate. I believe we won the game only when we took the last wicket.”
He further added that the difference between the Afghanistan team and Bangladesh was minimal, attributing their win to better performance on the day.
“Not much difference between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Both playing good cricket, especially with the white ball… We are at the same level. It’s just about you play the right cricket on the right day, that’s where you become a better team,” Rashid said.
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What is the Gulbadin Naib incident?
The incident involving Gulbadin Naib occurred when he dramatically fell on his back, clutching his thigh after Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott signaled the players to slow things down. This caused both amusement and annoyance among former players and fans, who questioned the genuineness of Naib’s discomfort.
Naib, who was fielding in the slip cordon, complained of cramps during the 12th over bowled by spinner Noor Ahmad. This happened after Trott was seen on camera asking his players to slow down as Bangladesh had fallen behind on the Duckworth-Lewis par score.
Naib received treatment on the field and was taken off by teammate Naveen-ul-Haq and a support staff member as it started raining again, causing players to run to the dugout.
When play resumed after a short delay, the target for Bangladesh was revised. Naib returned to the field in the 13th over, with Najibullah Zadran temporarily substituting for him. He later bowled in the 15th over and dismissed Tanzim Hasan.
This injury episode sparked discussions about its impact on the game, but Rashid Khan emphasized that it made no significant difference and focused on their overall performance leading to the historic semi-final qualification.
