In the final Super 8 game of the T20 World Cup 2024, Bangladesh managed to keep Afghanistan to an underwhelming 115/5. They needed to chase down the target in 12.1 overs in order to bring themselves level with Afghanistan and Australia on points, but ahead of the two on NRR.
However, Bangladesh could neither cement a spot in the semifinal nor surpass the two other sides on NRR. After slipping to 23/3, Bangladesh opted to change their game plan and began pursuing a consolation win instead of attempting to book a berth in the semis. They were eventually handed an eight-run loss which helped Afghanistan advance to the last four in the marquee event for the first time in their history.
That last six by Rashid Khan was unbelievably brilliant. Standing on the off side and hitting a 98-meter six to the leg side without even judging the length. Incredible stuff.
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) June 25, 2024
Apart from Rashid Khan showcasing his batting prowess towards the end of Afghanistan’s innings, an interesting moment that stood out from the game was Gulbadin Naib collapsing to the ground holding his leg while standing in the slip just before a ball was about to be delivered. His out-of-the-blue reaction came after head coach Jonathan Trott signalled his players to ‘slow it down’. At that point in time, Bangladesh were slightly behind the DLS score with the rain starting to get heavier, raising the possibility of Bangladesh taking the ascendancy in terms of DLS had that delivery been bowled before play stopped.
Once the rain relented, Afghanistan managed to close out the tight game by bundling out Bangladesh. Gulbadin’s tactic however came under the scanner on social media and even triggered a meme-fest, with netizens ridiculing his time-killing tactic.
