The first T20I between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan turned out to be a mouthwatering thriller at the Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe managed to snatch a win on the final ball of the match scripting their maiden T20I win against Afghanistan. The game went all the way down to the wire and Musekiwa held his nerve to hit the winning runs for his side. 

Following the defeat, Naveen-ul-Haq's poor performance with the ball came under the scanner. The speedster was all over the place during the 15th over of the run chase and took as many as 13 balls to complete the over which comprised one no-ball and four back-to-back wide deliveries.

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A peek into Naveen's disastrous show in the first T20I

Naveen ul-Haq's expensive 13-ball over had a decisive role to play in Zimbabwe's emphatic 4-wicket win yesterday. Although Naveen concluded his spell with figures of 3-33 which included one maiden over, the Afghani speedster lost the plot during the 15th over. The pressure was released and that over brought down the equation to a little over a run-a-ball for Zimbabwe. 

Can you count how many balls did he bowl in that over? Because we lost count!😵‍💫

Afghanistan's Naveen-Ul-Haq bowled a lengthy 14th over which proved to be decisive!🫣#ZIMvAFGonFanCode pic.twitter.com/MdeAWHJlEg

— FanCode (@FanCode) December 11, 2024

The over started with a wide to Bennett followed by a single. The next delivery was a no-ball to Raza which the batter dispatched to the boundary. However, the incoming free-hit ball lasted four balls as Naveen conceded four consecutive wides on the trot. He eventually landed the next ball within the wide tramline but was punished by Raza with a boundary. 

But in the third legitimate ball, Raza was removed which brought Burl to the crease. Burl and Bennett took singles in the next two deliveries. Naveen bowled another wide in that over before concluding it with a single. 

Naveen fails to contain in the death overs

After a horror show during the 15th over, Naveen was given yet another go from his skipper to set things right. But the 24-year-old failed to redeem himself in the crunch situation. With 21 needed in the final two overs, the game was very much tilted in Afghanistan's favor. Although he did not concede a single extra, Naveen still managed to leave 10 runs thus bringing the equation down to 11 in the final over. Azmatullah was entrusted with the final over but Musekiwa showcased nerves of steel to score all the remaining 11 runs to propel the Cheverons to their first win against Afghanistan in the shortest format. 

Former India player Gautam Gambhir asked fans to stop trolling and making fun of cricketers both on the ground as well as on social media after Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq ended their spat with a warm gesture as well. India played against Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.

However, the build-up to the match was the hype around the Kohli-Naveen clash after both were involved in an ugly spat during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year. And, both of them showed great maturity and decided to end that during the match on Wednesday. During India’s chase, they exchanged a handshake and even patted each other on the back as well. Meanwhile, Gambhir, who also got involved in the spat during IPL, was on commentary when Kohli and Naveen did that as well.

Sharing his thoughts on the same, he added: “You fight on the field, not off the field. Every player has the right to fight for his team, fight for respect, and fight to win. It doesn’t matter which country you belong to or how good of a player you are. The good thing was when we saw Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq in between the overs, we can see that the fight has ended.”

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Giving a stern message to fans, he shared: “I would also want to tell the crowd and fans that any player in the ground or on social media, shouldn’t be trolled or made fun of. You are passionate when you represent your team. It was a huge thing for Naveen to play in IPL for the first time coming from Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 55 off 56 balls as Team India chased down 273 in 35 overs with eight wickets to spare. The Indian team then registered their second win as well.

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“He said we are done with that, and I said yes” – Naveen-ul-Haq on interaction with Virat Kohli

While speaking after the India-Afghanistan match, speedster Naveen-ul-Haq opined on his interaction with Kohli and also the controversial incident between the two during IPL 2023. He added things went out of hand by people on the outside as well.

“He [Kohli] is a nice guy, a good player, and we shook hands. It’s always in the ground; it was nothing outside the ground. People make it big. They need that stuff for their followers. He said we are done with that, and I said yes, we are done with it. We shook hands and hugged,” he concluded.

However, what trailed behind RCB‘s misfortune was a savage dig from Naveen-ul-Haq, nothing of which was amazing.

“Virat is there when we need him”, tweeted AB de Villiers moments after Kohli had scored a record century on Sunday. In a sink or swim match for Royal Challengers Bangalore at home against reigning champs Gujarat Titans with the last end of the season games billet on the line, the G and F of the popular KGF disintegrated thus did the leftover of the middle order.

Kohli, on the other hand, marched alone against the Gujarat bowlers and eventually scored a ton in the IPL 2023

RCB appeared to be headed for the playoffs. Yet, GT, especially Shubman Gill, had different plans. As RCB lost their chance to advance to the knockout stages, he, like Kohli, struck a second consecutive century. Furthermore, what followed was a savage dig from Naveen-ul-Haq of Lucknow Super Giants.

The LSG quick was brutally attacked on Saturday by the Eden Gardens crowd, who were also taunting him with loud “Kohli” chants while he was in Lucknow. He was not permitted to breathe at either location. Each time he was bowling, the group hoped to occupy him. Also, when he handled, the group were at his ears. There was no halt.

However, neither Naveen nor the LSG star kept the conflict alive via web-based entertainment with secretive posts, one of which highlighted on Sunday minutes after RCB lost by six wickets at the Chinnaswamy. Taking to Instagram, he shared a story of the famous African reporter, who says: “God have mercy upon us” before bursting into laughter.

The sharing of this particular video is significant. Well just the enthusiastic Kohli fans will recollect this. Prior in Spring, when De Villiers had talked with Kohli during a live video visit on his YouTube channel, the two couldn’t quit snickering about that equivalent specific video which Naveen shared. Kohli referred to it as his “favorite video.”

Mumbai Indians, who had earlier that evening defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, advanced to the playoffs as the fourth team due to RCB’s defeat. They will confront Lucknow Super Monsters in the Eliminator at the Chepauk Stadium on May 24.

The crowd at Eden Gardens, Kolkata started chanting “Kohli Kohli” when Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq was getting smashed by Jason Roy. The incident happened during the 68th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 in the match played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants.

The home team, Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first. Lucknow Super Giants did not start off well as their openers could not score big. Karan Sharma got out for just 3 runs, while Quinton de Kock scored 28 runs off 27 deliveries. Other top and middle-order batters also got out for cheap. However, Nicholas Pooran showed some intent towards the end and smashed 58 runs off 30 deliveries. His innings included 4 boundaries and 5 sixes. At the end of 20 overs, Lucknow Super Giants scored 176 at a loss of 8 wickets.

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In the second innings, Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer gave a good start to Kolkata Knight Riders. Roy and Iyer smashed 45 runs and 24 runs respectively. Here is when the crowd at Eden Gardens started chanting “Kohli Kohli” when Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling against Jason Roy.

Watch: Crowd chanting “Kohli Kohli” as Jason Roy hits Naveen-Ul-Haq