The incident took place during the closing stages of the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi.
Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad recreated the famous Gulbadin Naib fake-injury tactic during a high-stakes moment in the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (October 13).
With only a few overs left in a match to secure a draw and just two wickets remaining, Qais dramatically went down holding his left hamstring after defending a delivery. This act mirrored the infamous stunt pulled off by Gulbadin during the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
In that match—also against Bangladesh—Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott signaled from the dugout to slow the game down because they were ahead on the DLS method before an impending rain delay. Naib, fielding at slip, immediately fell backwards, clutching his hamstring to waste time, only to be seen sprinting and celebrating just minutes later when play resumed.
History repeated itself when Qais used a nearly identical time-wasting tactic to eat up vital minutes and seal a gritty draw.
Cricket fans and commentators immediately erupted into comparisons, highlighting it as another "Oscar-worthy" moment in Afghanistan's cricket history.
Here’s the video:
Chasing a monumental fourth-innings target of 479 runs set by Bangladesh, Afghanistan batted for an incredible 142 overs—including 92 grueling overs on Day 5—to pull off a hard-fought draw, finishing their second innings at 346/8.
Opener Sediqullah Atal emerged as the hero for Afghanistan. He showed phenomenal resilience, facing 332 deliveries over 8.5 hours to score a gritty 111, marking his maiden Test century. He became the first Afghan batter to hit a century in the fourth innings of a Test match.
After Atal was dismissed in the final session, the lower order dug deep. Qais Ahmad scored an unbeaten, career-best 49 off 80 balls and safely guided the team to stumps. He was supported by Yamin Ahmadzai, who blocked out 85 balls for 19 runs.