Gurbaz and the night remembered for his jaw in an innings that ended in a losing cause for his Afghanistan side.
A night Gurbaz might not remember, but for the reminder on his jaw.
The innings that Rahmanullah Gurbaz had on Thursday night in Dubai will not be remembered for very long.
In front of a small crowd, he reached his half-century off 44 balls in a chase of 152 as Afghanistan lost the dead rubber of a bilateral series against the West Indies.
The most noteworthy aspect of his night out, though, might not have included him at all; anyone could have done it, and the effect would have been the same.
In the fifteenth over, Gurbaz was on fifty-three. There was a strike by Darwish Rasooli. The bowler was Shamar Springer. They drove the ball to mid-off. The batters thought about hitting a single, but ultimately opted against it. After gathering the ball, Gudakesh Motie tossed it to the non-striker’s end.
The ball bounced off the turf more than you would anticipate and struck Gurbaz, rubbing back to make his ground, flush in the helmet grille. This was a strange combination of chance and physics. The helmet was blown off by the impact. The stadium was so silent that the sound of a ball striking a helmet could be heard with unsettling clarity.
Gurbaz fell. While the medics hurried to check for a concussion, Rasooli, the umpires, and the fielders went to him and attempted to support him. There was a severe cut on his jaw.
Time had stopped for a second. It was now time to tackle the current task: 58 off 34 balls was required. Gurbaz stood deep in his crease to bosh a drive through the covers in the same over after swishing at a ball that had passed his arc.
A sporting event is enhanced by a display of grit. A few months before, Rishabh Pant, with a fractured foot tucked into his shoes, and Chris Woakes, with a broken arm tucked under his jumper, had emerged as the pivotal moments in a fiercely contested Test series.
One regrettable consequence of the game is physical harm, particularly concussions. Even though you are aware that the ball can always knock you down, you nevertheless play cricket underneath the helmets, neck protectors, and elbow pads. Or perhaps worse.
It knocked Gurbaz off his feet. But he stood up again. Additionally, he twice got on his knees in the 18th over in an attempt to line up to scoop the ball. He got what he wanted both times—once off a low full toss and again off a full ball.
Afghanistan just needed 28 off 15 balls when Gurbaz got back up following the second of those strokes.
Beneath the healthy beard, the cut on the jaw will soon become a scar.
Not every day should be cherished. The body may, and some fans will undoubtedly as well. But most people won’t remember Gurbaz’s innings. or his display of grit. As long as nothing major goes wrong, it’s just the best kind of sport.