Rashid Khan reprimanded by ICC for throwing bat during BAN vs AFG 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8 clash
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for throwing his bat on the pitch during the eight-run win over Bangladesh in the final Super 8 clash of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Emotions were at an all-time high in the crucial encounter at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St.Vincent.
The incident in question occurred during the final over of the first innings. The death over did not pan out as Afghanistan had hoped, following a collapse from 88-2 to 93-5. The skipper led the charge from the front by scoring a six in the 18th over, but was left frustrated after only one run was scored off the penultimate over.
Rashid scored another six off the second ball of the final over by Tanzim Sakib, and wanted a double off the next ball after a miscued shot that saw the ball go towards the off side, leading to a small midfield as well.
However, Karim Janat settled for a single and sent back his skipper, which led to a furious reaction by the latter. He threw his bat down in sheer frustration, and had to wait for another ball to return to strike and finished the innings off with a six, stretching the total to 115.
His actions have been deemed in breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, and as a result, he has been charged by the on-field umpires and the match referee.
"Rashid Khan has been officially sanctioned by the ICC for a show of dissent towards a teammate during Afghanistan’s nerve-wracking win over Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024," ICC's statement read
Rashid Khan ended his innings unbeaten on 19 runs off 10 deliveries, which ended up being a valuable contribution in the low-scoring thriller.
Rashid Khan starred with the ball to seal a historic win for Afghanistan
With a semi-final spot on the line, the leg-spinner stood tall for his side to finish with figures of 4-23 as Afghanistan just about managed to defend the 116-run target. He accounted for the wickets of Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, and Rishad Hossain.
Afghanistan's progress into the knockouts meant that heavyweights Australia were knocked out of the competition. Rashid Khan will be next seeing leading the side in the upcoming semi-final encounter against South Africa in Trinidad.