Rahmanullah Gurbaz walks off injured during clash against Bangladesh

On Monday (June 24), Afghanistan’s mainstay, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, walked off the field in his side’s clash against Bangladesh at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent. 

Keeping wickets, Gurbaz was on the wrong side of a bad bounce in Naveen-ul-Haq’s first over during Bangladesh’s run chase. The ball kept low and hit the 22-year-old on the unprotected side of the knee, instantly causing a lot of pain. 

Even the medical team couldn’t assist to keep Gurbaz on the field, with them carrying him off the field. Mohammad Ishaq replaced Gurbaz immediately after, making his first appearance at the ongoing T20 World Cup here in the Caribbean and the United States of America. 

Earlier in the day, Gurbaz played one of the slowest knocks in T20 World Cup history (min 50 balls) when he scored a 55-ball 43, where he hit just four boundaries in total. If not for a 10-ball 19 cameo from Rashid Khan, Afghanistan would have struggled to post a defendable total on the board. 

Only a win can send Afghanistan to the semi-finals of the global event. On the other hand, Bangladesh could make it through if they chase the target in 12.1 overs or level the scores by 12.4 and hit a six off the fifth delivery. However, the equation for Australia seems the most plausible, as all they need is Bangladesh to win the clash after the 13th over.

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