VIDEO | Gulbadin Naib costs Afghanistan four runs after ducking to a straightforward catch
Catches win matches is a cliché often stands true and on this occasion, Gulbadin Naib not only made a mess of a catch but also ducked out of it to concede four crucial runs in the final over against West Indies. Carlos Brathwaite was the benefiter as Naib lost the ball completely in the sun.
After a solid start, West Indies were looking to take full control of the death overs and had done well to cross the 300-run mark. Carlos Brathwaite was firing on all cylinders and fortune favoured him on the last delivery of their innings too.
On the final delivery of the 50th over, Brathwaite heaved one from Sayed Shirzad over long-on but didn’t get the timing right. It looked like an easy catch to Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib on the boundary but it wasn’t to be. He completely lost the sight of the ball and ducked to the catch, which not only gave Brathwaite a reprieve but also four runs.
Naib had no words to describe the error and blamed the shining sun for the mishap as he had absolutely no idea of the trajectory of the ball. Luckily, he escaped unhurt but the team conceded four more runs. It will be interesting to see how heavily this blunder will cost Afghanistan as the pitch looks flat and the target is well under their reach.