Gulbadin Naib To Face Ban For ‘Faking Injury’ In Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 Thriller? : The Afghanistan cricket team defeated Bangladesh in a low-scoring encounter by 8 runs (DLS method) to register the last spot for the semi-finals. With this historic win, Rashid Khan and his team knocked the mighty Australians out of the tournament.
For the unversed, the Australian cricket team had their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals in the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan match. The Aussies were praying for Bangladesh to defeat Afghanistan and help them progress to the semi-finals, however, the Rashid Khan-led team had its plans.
But the much-anticipated game wasn’t without its share of drama, particularly during a crucial moment when Gulbadin Naib appeared to suffer a hamstring injury while fielding in the slips. The incident took place just before the rain break, when Bangladesh was at 81 for 7, and trailing by just two runs on the DLS method.
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Gulbadin Naib Gave An Oscar-Winning Performance
Well, just when it started drizzling, Jonathan Trott, the Afghanistan coach, signaled the players to slow down the things and soon the cameras panned towards Naib falling to the ground and clutching his hamstring.
Even captain Rashid Khan looked visibly frustrated as he kept asking Naib what had happened. During the live broadcast, commentator Simon Duoll even called out the matter, he said:
“The coach sends a message out to say Slow it down, slow it down, and the first slip just dives on the ground needlessly. That is unacceptable. Gone off anyway. I get that might have gone off anyway for the rain,”
Interestingly, Gulbadin seemed perfectly fine after a few overs and had full participation in Afghanistan’s celebrations after the win. Not just this, Naib was also seen dancing to the Champion song by DJ Bravo after Afghanistan’s historic win.
This ‘act’ by Naib has received criticism from all corners, with many taking to social media and trolling him. Many even started the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate, highlighting how this act pulled by Naib goes against the spirit of cricket.
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This has got to be the most funniest thing ever 🤣 Gulbadin Naib just breaks down after coach tells him to slow things down 🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/JdHm6MfwUp
— Sports Production (@SportsProd37) June 25, 2024
Later, Rashid Khan also defended Gulbadin for his controversial injury by suggesting that the act didn’t make a lot of difference in the game. He said:
“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,”
A day after the historic win, Gulbadin Naib took to his social media and shared a picture of himself with his physio and wrote: “Wonders can happen”
Can Naib be banned if he was faking an injury?
According to ICC rules, ‘time-wasting’ is a level 1 or 2 offense (Article 2.10.7). A level 1 offense can lead to a fine of up to 100% of the match fee and two suspension points. Accumulating four suspension points in a year may result in a ban from one Test match or two ODIs or T20Is.
In T20Is (Article 41.9), time-wasting by a bowler or fielder can result in a five-run penalty, but enforcement is at the umpire’s discretion. Post-match investigations can follow if deliberate time-wasting is suspected.
“If the umpires believe that the act of time wasting was deliberate or repetitive, they may lodge a report under the ICC Code of Conduct. In such circumstances, the Captain and/or any individual members of the fielding team responsible for the time wasting will be charged,” according to the ICC playing conditions.
However, no such news has come so far from the match officials and ICC is opening an investigation against Naib. Also, Naib has said that he was facing injury issues, which makes it difficult to prove that he was faking his injury to waste time.
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