Afghan hero Naib flexes muscles as Dubai Capitals reach ILT20 final

Khaleej Times

05-02-2025

It was not cricket, but bodybuilding which grabbed Gulbadin Naib's attention while he was growing up. And his role model was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood strongman.
Eventually, Naib turned to cricket, rising through the ranks before playing a key role in the war-torn Afghanistan's stunning rise in the sport at global level.
The 33-year-old batting all-rounder was in the thick of the action again on Wednesday night under the iconic 'Ring of Fire' in Dubai.
Chasing 190 against the Desert Vipers in the Qualifier 1 at the ILT20, Dubai Capitals lost their first wicket in the seventh over after a good start.
Naib walked in at 51 for one and departed with with his team needing one off one ball in a dramatic final over which saw Lockie Ferguson, the Kiwi pacer, leave the field with an injury.
Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwean batter, held his nerve to finish the match with a superb four off Mohammad Amir, who came on to bowl the last ball of the match following Ferguson's injury.
Raza punched the air after that match-winning boundary as the Capitals clinched the last-ball thriller by five wickets to book their place in Sunday's final.
But it was Naib who was the hero for the Dubai team who were missing their talisman David Warner due to a back injury.
Naib (62 off 39 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) paced his innings superbly to set up a well-deserved victory for the Capitals.
It was the fourth half-century of this campaign for the fearless Afghan batter who will now hope to produce another big knock in Sunday's final at the same stadium.
Earlier, Alex Hales made a sparkling 67 off 32 balls as the Vipers, the table-toppers, made 189 for seven in 20 overs.
Capitals captain Sam Billings (38 off 16 balls), opener Adam Rossington (44 off 31 balls) and Rovman Powell (20 off 13 balls) chipped in with useful knocks, but it was Naib, who had also taken two crucial wickets and three catches, was named man-of-the-match.
'When you played a good game in the past, you remind yourself of that. I was reminded of the previous fifties I got," said Naib of his two previous half-centuries against the Vipers in the league phase.
"I can play at any position. Number three now is my lucky number. I have opened as well so I can bat anywhere.
"We played a lot of cricket here in Dubai. It was a pressure game, and I love pressure games. With the ball, I used the surface. I used my variations a lot.'
Vipers captain Ferguson said the dew in the evening made it hard for his bowlers to defend the total.
'It was a tough night. It was a great game of cricket, obviously dew came on and made the game difficult for us," the New Zealander said.
"We were unfortunate not to have come out on top. I thought it was a great total but it's T20 cricket."
On Thursday, Sharjah Warriorz will face defending champions MI Emirates in the Eliminator.
The winner of this contest will face Desert Vipers in Qualifier 2 on Friday for the right to play Dubai Capitals in Sunday's final.
Brief scores:
Dubai Capitals beat Desert Vipers by five wickets
Desert Vipers 189/7 in 20 overs (Alex Hales 67, Max Holden 36, Dan Lawrence 35, Gulbadin Naib 2 for 25, Qais Ahmad 2 for 29)
Dubai Capitals 193/5 in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 62, Adam Rossington 44, Sam Billings 38, Lockie Ferguson 2 for 32, David Payne 1 for 31)