Qais Ahmed and Gulbadin Naib (Image credit: Agencies)
The Afghanistan batter’s injury moment reminded fans of Gulbadin Naib’s incident during the 2024 T20 World Cup. The hosts batted for 142 overs to avoid defeat against their Asian rivals. Batting at number nine, he remained unbeaten on 49 off 80 balls and helped his team survive the final stages of the match. The incident reminded fans of Naib’s injury moment against Bangladesh during the 2024 T20 World Cup. In his first Test as captain, he scored 105 in the first innings and followed it up with 51 in the second.
Afghanistan won that match to reach the semi-finals of an ICC tournament for the first time. NEW DELHI: Qais Ahmed grabbed attention in the closing stages of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan put up a determined batting effort to secure a draw at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Qais played an important role in ensuring that the efforts of Afghanistan’s batters, especially Sediqullah Atal, did not go in vain. Captain Rahmat Shah also had a memorable game. Rahmat became only the sixth male cricketer to score a century and a half-century on his Test captaincy debut. Naib’s injury led to the physios coming onto the field. Play was then stopped as rain interrupted the match. When the teams returned after a short break, Naib appeared to be moving comfortably. This led to criticism from some fans and experts, who questioned the timing of the incident and suggested it may have helped Afghanistan.