'I was almost crying...' – Australia captain Mitchell Marsh reacts to Gulbadin Naib's ‘Oscar-winning’ antics during AFG vs BAN Super 8 clash

Afghanistan scripted history by defeating Bangladesh in a dramatic encounter to advance to the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. They have put up remarkable performances in the series and have been rewarded what they deserve. Amidst all this, all-rounder Gulbadin Naib has found himself in hot water for injury tactics to help Afghanistan reach their maiden World Cup semi-final. 

It was a must-win match for the Asian team as a loss would have sent Australia into the knockout stages. Batting first, Afghanistan could only manage 115-5 in 20 overs but their bowling unit once again delivered the needful. Chasing a modest score, Bangladesh were restricted to 81/7 in 11.4 overs before rain interrupted for the second time in St Vincent.

As per the DLS rule, the Bangla Tigers needed 83 runs at this stage if it continued to rain. Afghanistan were leading by two runs and coach Jonathan Trott signalled from the dugout for his team to slow down proceedings. Gulbadin Naib, who had been fielding at slip position, noticed Trott’s gesture and instantly went down in pain holding his hamstring.

Naib managed to shave off some crucial minutes as his teammates and medical team arrived to check on him. Soon the rain picked up and covers were brought onto the ground. Had the game been stopped at that stage, Afghanistan would have won the match and entered the semi-finals with three points.

Also Read: Taliban FM congratulates Rashid Khan over video call for guiding Afghanistan to T20 WC 2024 semi-finals

What was Mitchell Marsh’s first reaction?

Naib's time-delaying antics have sparked controversy in the cricket fraternity. However, it didn't flare up much as the game resumed after some time and it didn't affect the result. Meanwhile, after Australia's elimination, captain Mitchell Marsh reacted to Naib's 'tactics' by seeing the funny side of it.

"I was almost in tears laughing and at the end of the day, it had no bearing on the game. So we can laugh about it now – but gee it was funny. It was outstanding," Marsh told cricket.com.au.

"We watched it as a group. It was obviously a pretty amazing game, wasn't it? A lot of twists and turns. Obviously, you want to keep playing this tournament and that was our only way of doing it. But there's also the element that it was completely out of our control and we only had ourselves to blame for that," Marsh added.

Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semi-final at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday, June 27.

Also Read: What happened when Afghanistan last faced South Africa in T20I?