During Afghanistan’s third T20I against Pakistan, Najibullah Zadran was hit in the throat by a vicious bouncer from Ihsanullah and was forced to retire hurt. The incident took place during an eventful 11th over of Afghanistan’s unsuccessful chase of 181.
Mohammad Nabi had hit Ihsanullah’s first ball for four before being run out from the second delivery while attempting a dangerous single. Najibullah, who came in to bat after Nabi’s dismissal, was struck by Ihsanullah’s delivery, which pitched halfway down the wicket and hit him just below the grill of his helmet, making impact with his neck and jawline.
Upon witnessing the severity of the impact, Ihsanullah and Mohammad Haris rushed to Najibullah’s aid to assess the extent of the injury. Despite remaining upright, Najibullah had to remove his helmet with the help of Haris, which uncovered a brutal wound on his neck where the ball had struck him.
The broadcast displayed that the ball had been hurled at over 91 miles per hour, while the commentator expressed concern: “This doesn’t bode well, it doesn’t look good. Najibullah Zadran had no inkling of that… It’s a cruel delivery to start with.”
Medics rushed onto the field to evaluate the extent of Najibullah’s injury, with Pakistan’s fielders also providing assistance. Eventually, he had to leave the field and retire hurt, walking off with a cloth pressed to the cut on his chin.
The drama of the over continued with Ihsanullah’s next ball. Karim Janat faced another short delivery and attempted to pull it into the leg side, but he got a top edge which fell safely into Haris’s gloves.
Afghanistan were bowled out for 116 with eight balls remaining in their innings. They lost the final match of the series by 66 runs but still clinched the series victory 2-1. Ihsanullah finished with figures of 3-29 in his four overs.