Gulbadin Naib cheating allegations: Will ICC punish Afghanistan star? What Laws, Code of Conduct say about time-wasting

Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib sparked a major controversy on Tuesday during the final Super Eight match of the 2024 T20 World Cup against Bangladesh at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent. Gulbadin was accused of cheating during the game, with his apparent bout of cramps sparking the spirit of cricket discussions.

It happened in the 12th over of the second innings in the rain-affected see-saw match after Bangladesh fell behind the DLS par score by just three runs following three consecutive dot balls from Noor Ahmad. A light drizzle was witnessed during the over, and Afghanistan head coach and a former England cricketer, Jonathan Trott, signalled the players to "slow down" while pointing towards the sky. At that very moment, Gulbadin, who was standing still at the slip, fell to the ground, clutching his hamstring owing to a cramp.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was not happy with what the commentators alleged as a 'time-wasting' technique, but to Gulbadin's effort, it did work as no more deliveries were bowled with covers being brought on. Had the remainder of the match been washed out, Afghanistan, who were in a rather tricky position in the chase with Bangladesh opener Litton Das having notched up a fighting half-century, would have won on DLS.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, the covers came off in a few minutes, Gulbadin was back on the field as well and he picked up a key wicket before Naveen-ul-Haq snared the final two to help Afghanistan secure a thrilling win by eight runs.

Moments after the win, Gulbadin's act came under the scanner on social media, especially after the all-rounder was seen running wildly in celebration of Afghanistan reaching their first-ever semifinal in an ICC tournament. However, Rashid cleared the air after the match saying: "He [Naib] had some cramp. I don't know what happened to him and I don't know what's going on in social media but that doesn't matter... It's not something that brought a massive difference in the game. We came back on the field after five minutes, and there was no massive difference."

Will ICC punish Afghanistan star? What does Laws and Code of Conduct say about time-wasting?

According to section 41 of the ICC Playing Conditions for the 2024 T20 World Cup, "The umpires shall be the sole judges of fair and unfair play. If either umpire considers that any action by a player, not covered by these playing conditions, is unfair, he/she shall call and signal Dead bal, if appropriate, as soon as it becomes clear that the call will not disadvantage the non-offending side, and report the matter to the other umpire.

"If this is a first offence by that side, the bowler's end umpire shall then summon the offending player's captain and issue a first and final warning which shall apply to all members of the team for the remainder of the match. And, warn the offending player's captain that any further such offence by any member of his/her team shall result in the award of five penalty runs to the opposing team."

Hence, even if the accusations against Gulbadin were proven to be true, the on-field umpires could have only punished Afghanistan by handing them a penalty of five runs but that wasn't an option at that moment in the game.

Furthermore, section 4.9 of the Playing Conditions for the tournament, which pertains to 'Time wasting by a fileding side', adds: "If either umpire considers that the progress of an over is unnecessarily slow, or time is being wasted in any other way, by the captain of the fielding side or by any other fielder, at the first intance the umpire concerned shall: If the ball is in play, call and signal Dead ball. Inform the other umpire of what has occurred. The bowler's end umpire shall then warn the captain of the fielding side, indicating that this is a first and final warning. Inform the batters of what has occurred."

Meanwhile, under the ICC Code of Conduct, Gulbadin's time-wasting act could be specified as a Level One or Level Two offence, for which the apex body could slap a hefty fine of 100 per cent of the match fees or add two suspension points. It now depends on whether the on-field match officials report the incident as time wasting to the match referee.