Afghanistan produced yet another thriller, this time against Pakistan, but failed to seize the key moments that eventually cost them the match. Afghanistan’s score of 227 was overcome by Pakistan with just two balls to spare, thanks to lusty hitting at the dying moments of the match by Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz. But, one of the key reasons why Afghanistan ended up on the wrong side of the match was a blunder Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib made, by bringing himself to bowl the 46th over of the match
Pakistan batsmen were finding the going tough against Afghan spinners and with a few overs left for spinners, the decision to bring himself on made no sense. His over was taken for 18 runs.
Experts and fans cannot take Naib’s decision to bowl the crucial over. Check out some of the reactions.
Afghanistan had the game firmly in their hands till the 46th over with Pakistan needing 46 from 5. A tactical blunder by the captain to get himself on along with missing out on a DRS lbw of Imad due to a poor appeal earlier has cost them the match. Well played Imad #PAKvAFG
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 29, 2019
Why on the earth you decided to bring yourself on, Gulbadin…. why? #AFGvPAK #PAKvAFG #CWC19
— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) June 29, 2019
Afghanistan sacking Afghan, their captain for 4 years, and replacing him with Gulbadin on the brink of the World Cup, was remarkable. That's the sadness of Afghanistan's World Cup campaign: politics has dragged the team down, and they're performing under themselves.
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) June 29, 2019
Legend says the Afghan is full of heart & grit. Never goes down without a fight. This World Cup has shown us that. Great performances by the team. I hope they get a lot more opportunities at the international stage & evolve as one of the top international teams. #PAKVAFG #CWC19
— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) June 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/1145007742316244993
The standard of umpiring and captaincy in question today…. #CWC19 #PakvAfg
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 29, 2019
Phew….Thrill-A-Minute Pakistan dodges a bullet. A serious one. Imad Wasim…you beauty. But more importantly, Pakistan’s Wild-Card entry—Wahab Riaz keeps the dream intact with a broken finger. Take a bow ???? #CWC19 #PakvAfg
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 29, 2019
Gulbadin, who got hit for 10 off his last over, bringing himself back on for the final over to defend 6 is club captain shithousery at its best. #PAKvAFG
— Isabelle Westbury (@izzywestbury) June 29, 2019
Afghanistan should fire their captain for egomaniacal stupidity. He had a real chance of becoming a mega star by just letting his team win, than insist on bowling himself at crucial points incl the last over—and spraying full tosses. The worst, selfish captaincy ever
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) June 29, 2019
Does Gulbadin Naib make it to Afghanistan playing XI if he is not the captain? #PAKvAFG #CWC19
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) June 29, 2019
Gulbadin Naib is Afghanistan's captain in ODIs:
He averages 21.65 with the bat.
He opened the batting vs Pakistan scoring 12.He averages 32.57 with the ball & has one wicket all tournament.
He bowled himself for 10 overs vs Pakistan, conceded 73 & was wicketless.?#PAKvsAFG pic.twitter.com/vDYa69kUd7
— bet365 (@bet365) June 29, 2019
Gulbadin Naib should hang his head in shame.
He cost Afghanistan a historic World Cup win for his own personal gain.
Shambolic from the captain. #AFGvPAK #CWC2019
— Joshua Jones (@joshuapsjones) June 29, 2019
Wow, that was some finish to this game AFG vs PAK. Several tactical errors on both sides. But my heart goes out to Afghanistan. They battled so hard in their last 3 games. Happy though, that Pakistan have kept their hopes alive, & kept the tournament interesting??????.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) June 29, 2019
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