SA vs AFG | Twitter reacts to Naveen ranting at skip Rashid after DRS reluctance lets golden chance slip

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Cricket is inherently a game of fine margins and the lines are even more blurred at the elite level, especially when a World Cup final is at stake. Afghanistan rued their inability to seize the moment at Tarouba after Rashid Khan's DRS refusal denied Naveen-ul-Haq a potentially game-changing scalp.

Afghanistan were left battling nearly impossible odds in their first World Cup semi-final on Thursday after the side collapsed to a paltry 56 all-out in the first innings. Nevertheless, a new-ball pace duo at the top of its mark and a hellacious surface ensured the team kept its spirits up and Naveen ul-Haq backed up the belief with an early scalp of Quinton de Kock. The right-arm quick was proving to be unplayable for the Proteas with the ball jagging and spitting up off the deck every which way but Aiden Markram opted to play with fire by attempting some expansive shots. However, when the strategy inevitably backfired, the Proteas skipper was allowed to escape scot-free much to the frustration of Naveen.

On the fourth ball of the third over, Naveen angled a ball into Markram from over the stumps that moved away sharply after hitting the deck along with a hint of late swing. The batter fearlessly lashed his hands at the ball hoping to lace it through the covers but was beaten all hands up as the Kookaburra ended up in Rajmanullah Gurbaz's glove. The Afghans went up in half-hearted appeal and were quickly shot down but skipper Rashid Khan came charging in from mid-off claiming he heard a nick. However, none of his teammates supported the claim and the DRS timer eventually ran down.

Much to the shock of the Asian contingent, the big screen soon showed that the ball had indeed caught a feather edge of the willow. Naveen was quick to berate his captain for not being bold even as Rashid stared into the horizon while nodding his head with disbelief, accurately mirroring Twitterati's sentiments.

What a blunder!

It could've been very different

Yup

Big miss

Just wow

What have you done

Gone

What a shame

No idea

LOL

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