The match was tentalisingly poised as Bangladesh continued to slip in their chase of Afghanistan’s 115 for 8, while intermittent short spells of rain forced players to walk out of the park multiple times.
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The bizarre moment arrived when the scoreboard read 81 for 7, as Bangladesh chased a DSL-revised target of 114 in 19 overs. Noting that Afghanistan were ahead on DLS countback at that stage, coach Jonathan Trott signalled the players on the field to slow down the proceedings; and just before the next ball of the 12th over was bowled, slip fielder Gulbadin Naib went flat on the ground holding his hamstring.
The chain of events left the commentators on live broadcast in splits, while Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan seemed to be expressing his annoyance with Naib.
While Rashid was applauded for his displeasure with delay tactics, fans and cricket experts questioned Naib as well as Afghanistan coach and former England batsman Trott for allegedly bringing the game in disrepute.
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Rain relented enough to eventually allow the game to be completed as Afghanistan bowled out Bangladesh for 105 in 17.5 overs to win by 8 runs (DLS method) and join India as the two semifinalists from Group 1.
Afghanistan’s win also knocked Australia out of the tournament, while booking them a maiden World Cup semifinal against South Africa. India will take on England in the second semifinal.
However, the controversy annoyed fans of the game, questioning Trott and Naib for allegedly going against the spirt of the game.
