Afghanistan’s cricket team was at the centre of a cheating storm in their key Super 8s clash with Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup.
In a match that will decide the semifinal fate of both teams – and Australia who require a Bangladesh win -Afghanistan fielder Gulbadin Naib appeared to fake a hamstring cramp as a rain shower swept across the ground with his team holding a slender lead on the DLS countback.
His actions came moments after the team’s English coach Jonathan Trott signalled his team to slow things down.
Gulbadin Naib celebrates after dismissing Glenn Maxwell in an earlier game (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
As Naib laid on the ground he appeared to be admonished by his own capatain Rashid Khan, who was bowling.
Commentator Simon Doull seized on the incident and compared Naib’s dive to a footballer.
“Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. Can’t have this. I’m not accepting that,” Doull said.
“Not accepting that. Even Rashi doesn’t like it. I like that from Rashid Khan. He doesn’t like that play either.
“It’s just delay tactics. I get it, but I don’t like that at all. Bangladesh behind by two. 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.”
The incident prevented a ball being bowled and the players had to take a quick break as the covers came on.
“Might’ve gone off anyway for the rain. But that’s not a good look,” said Doull. “I know the Euros are going on at the moment in football, he’d be better off there.”
Former Australia rep Lisa Sthalekar added: “I know it’s always a gray area with the spirit of the game. Always a gray area, but it does not look good. Those pictures don’t add up.”
To make matters worse Naib was okay to bowl when play resumed.
Former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa was also aghast.
“I hate talking about the line, but there are legitimate ways that you can go up to it and not necessarily cross it,”he said.
“What was good was how Skipper reacted to say, ‘look, mate, not in my team’. And you understand the kind of magnitude of the situation, the desire for the result.
“You’ll do whatever it is. It’s a competition, and you’ve got competitive individuals out there who are trying to make sure that they end up on the right side of a result here. And that’s fair enough.
“So you compete that way, and you do everything within the laws and the spirit. The laws, if you go according to the laws, you’ll stay in the spirit. All right.”
Social media came down hard on the Afghans.