Gulbadin Naib falls to the ground during the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh T20 World Cup match.©Twitter
The Afghanistan-Bangladesh T20 World Cup match was a controversial moment, when Afghanistan Vice Gulbadin fell to the ground]apparently due to injury. Naib, who was fielding in the slip cordon, complained of cramps during the 12th match against Spinner. Noor Ahmedafter Trott was seen on camera asking his players to slow down as Bangladesh fell behind on the scoreline to Duckworth-Lewis in the rain-hit Super 8 clash.
The match saw frequent rain interruptions and Bangladesh, at this stage, were 81 for 7, two runs behind the DLS normal score in a revised chase of 114 in 19 overs. The Afghans finally won by eight points to reach their first World Cup semi-final.
“The coach sends a message to say slow down, slow down and the first slide falls unnecessarily on the ground. It’s unacceptable. It went anyway. I understand it could have gone anyway because of the rain,” Simon Doull said in commentary.
Zimbabwean commentator Pommie Mbangwa joked: “Oscar, Emmy? “.
Naib received treatment and was taken off the field by his teammate Naveen-ul-Haq and support staff as it started to rain again and players ran for the dugout.
“Kabi khushi kabi gham main huta hai (Sometimes it happens when you’re happy or when you’re sad). Hamstrings,” Naib later said in a post on X, peppered with laughing emojis.
So, can Naib be banned if he faked an injury?
According to the ICC Code of Conduct, “waste of time” is considered a Level 1 or 2 offense under Article 2.10.7. For a level 1 offense, the maximum penalty is a 100% fine and two suspension points. If a player is given four suspension points in a year, he can be banned for either one Test match or two ODIs or T20Is.
Additionally, according to Article 41.9 of the ICC Playing Conditions for T20Is, the time-wasting technique of a bowler or fielder is punishable by a five-run penalty. The umpire has the power to do so, but in the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, no such thing was granted.
An investigation is planned after the match if a loss of time proves to be deliberate. “If the umpires believe that the act of wasting time was deliberate or repetitive, they may file a report under the ICC Code of Conduct. In such circumstances, the captain and/or any individual member of the fielding team responsible for wasting time will be charged,” according to the ICC playing conditions.
No such news has come so far that the match officials and the ICC are initiating an investigation against Naib. Additionally, Naib said he was dealing with injury issues, making it difficult to prove this time wasting was deliberate.
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