Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has been found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct for his comments in the presentation ceremony that alluded to the military combat between his country and neighbours Pakistan, after their group match in the Asia Cup on September 14, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Indian captain has been advised against making any political statements.
PCB had lodged an official complaint with the ICC against Suryakumar for dedicating the victory over Pakistan in the first round, on September 14, to “the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack” in April this year, which led to friction between India and Pakistan on the border.
India decided against shaking hands with Pakistan at the toss and after the game, which they won by seven wickets. The second fixture between the arch-rivals saw tempers flare more so as heated exchanges between Pakistan quicks Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf and India openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill made the rounds on social media.
BCCI had filed an official complaint against Rauf and Farhan with the ICC for their gesticulation on the field according to the aforementioned publication. Farhan’s celebration after registering his half-century and Rauf’s hand movements towards a section of fans while fielding at the boundary – the incidents the BCCI has complained about – led to a furore on social media given their geopolitical messaging.
Pakistan quick Rauf has been found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct too and has been fined 30% of his match fee by ICC match referee Richie Richardson. Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan was not fined and let off with a warning by Richardson, ESPNcricinfo reported.
The two teams are set to compete against each other for the third time in the tournament, in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
