Afghanistan all-rounder Karim Janat was in the middle of the drama that transpired in the recent T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh. In the final over of Afghanistan’s innings, Rashid threw his bat on the ground in frustration after Karim Janat, his batting partner, declined a second run and the strike as a result.
The action saw Rashid receive an official reprimand and one demerit point by the ICC but none of it soured what was to come. Afghanistan went on to win the match and make it to their maiden World Cup semifinal. In fact, Karim Janat was among the first ones to rush to Rashid and celebrate the moment on the field.
Rashid Khan throw’s bat in agony towards Karim Janat during crunch moment vs BAN.
Afghanistan had a great start to the match after openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (43 runs from 55 balls, 3 fours and 1 six) and Ibrahim Zadran (18 runs from 29 balls, 1 four) played a 59-run partnership. Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain’s three-wicket haul helped Bangladesh to restrict Afghanistan to 115/5 in the Super Eights match. After the openers, none of the players could make an impact in the game except for Rashid Khan in the end. Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi were dismissed at 10, 4 and 1 respectively.
In the end, skipper Rashid Khan (19* runs from 10 balls, 3 sixes) and Karim Janat (7 runs from 6 balls, 1 four) stayed on the crease and powered Afghanistan to 115/5 after the end of the 20 overs. Rishad Hossain led the Bangladesh bowling attack after he picked up three wickets and gave 26 runs in his four-over spell. Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed also bagged one wicket each in their respective spells. Bangladesh need to make 116 runs to win the match against Afghanistan.
Celebrations erupted in Afghanistan on Tuesday after the Afghan cricket team’s dramatic victory over Bangladesh, winning them a place for the first time in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. During the match, an incident that went viral online involved Afghan Captain Rashid Khan. In a moment of frustration, he angrily threw his bat at his partner Karim Janat for not attempting a second run.
Internet users have responded to this incident, with some suggesting he should improve his anger management skills, while others expressed support for his response. Karim Janat promptly considered this as heat of the moment and also spoke openly about it.
Karim Janat on heated incident with Rashid Khan in T20 World Cup 2024 match
Afghanistan’s bowling all-rounder Karim Janat has opened up on the heated incident involving him and Rashid Khan during their T20 World Cup 2024 match against Bangladesh in Kingstown. The 25-year-old claimed that it’s normal for tempers to flare in the heat of a contest and that there’s no lingering ill-feeling in the squad.
With the ball skewing off the outside edge of Rashid’s bat in the final over of the innings, the captain had gotten ready to come back for the second run. However, Karim Janat denying him the run made Rashid furious enough that he tried to throw his bat towards his teammate. As a result, the Afghanistan captain received a demerit point and an official reprimand.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karim Janat said such incidents are a part and parcel of any game and reckons Afghanistan’s ability to stay together as a unit propelled them to the semi-finals.
“The ball went to the fielder and we couldn’t get two runs as a result. That is why he [Rashid] was a bit disturbed. And during a match, a lot of things like that can happen. Like the bowlers can get angry if there is a mis-field but the important thing is how you adapt and stay as a unit. There are no issues as far as the unity of our team is concerned.”
He continued:
“We are like brothers and more importantly we celebrate each other’s success and that is why we did well. We don’t have any ego.”
Afghanistan finished with 115 in their allotted 20 overs against Bangladesh in a rain-curtailed contest, which proved to be just enough. However, South Africa demolished Afghanistan in the semi-finals.
“When Rashid took over as captain two years ago, he picked 20 to 25 players” – Karim Janat
Karim Janat said that Rashid’s vision is to ensure continuity with the 15 players he has chosen and giving as much exposure as possible to the junior players. He added:
“When Rashid took over as captain two years ago, he picked 20 to 25 players and he has been carrying them for the last two years. There are young and senior players and he chose the best 15 for the World Cup from that group. And once you carry the juniors with you, they learn something and get comfortable… we will be playing the next World Cup with these young players and they will have learned something and be better prepared.”
Afghanistan defeated sides like New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh on their way to the semi-finals.