Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq playfully trolled teammate Gulbadin Naib on social media Tuesday after Naib's fake injury' during their rain-affected T20 World Cup Super 8 victory over Bangladesh. Naveen posted a humorous clip referencing a scene from the Bollywood movie "Welcome" on his social media page. "Sorry @gulbadin.naib but had to post this," Naveen wrote alongside the edited video.
Watch video here:
Read Also | “That’s a Revenge for 2023”: Indian Fan Sledges Pat Cummins After Australia's T20 World Cup 2024 Exit, Video Goes Viral
All-rounder Gulbadin Naib's actions during the tense match drew attention. He fell to the ground clutching his hamstring in the 12th over of Bangladesh's chase. Afghanistan held a narrow two-run lead under the Duckworth-Lewis method when rain threatened to disrupt play. Coach Jonathan Trott signaled to the players to slow things down to maintain the advantage. Naib then theatrically grabbed his hamstring, ensuring Afghanistan went into the rain break with the lead.
Naib returned to the field after the break and even took a wicket, seemingly unharmed. He then led the post-match celebrations, further highlighting the lightheartedness of the situation.
Captain Rashid Khan downplayed the incident, stating Naib experienced cramps and it didn't affect the game's outcome. Bangladesh was eventually bowled out for 105 runs, falling short of the revised target of 114.
"He had some cramp, I don't know what happened to him," Khan said. "It's just the end-field injury...the rain came and we just went off. It's not something that brought a massive difference."
Afghanistan now faces South Africa in the first semifinal on Wednesday in Trinidad.
