India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was docked 30 percent of his match fee for his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack — a sanction the BCCI has appealed — while Pakistan’s Haris Rauf faced a similar penalty as ICC disciplinary action reflected the rising tensions between the two arch-rivals.
After a hearing in Dubai on Friday, match referee Richie Richardson issued a warning to another Pakistani player, Sahibzada Farhan, for celebrating with a gunshot during last Sunday’s Asia Cup encounter against India.
“The ICC will not issue any official release on the sanctions till end of the tournament given the sensitivity of the matter,” a tournament source said.
The verdict could arrive on Monday, a day after the tournament final, where arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to meet again — having already faced off twice in this edition, with India winning on both occasions.
It was agreed that the international organization would wait until the competition was over before issuing a press statement regarding the punishments.
The BCCI is known to disagree with Richardson’s claim that Suryakumar violated the Code of Conduct by defending his nation’s Army and the victims of a terrorist attack.
“If the BCCI is unable to defend its captain, who stood by the Indian Army, it would be very poor optics. BCCI as an organisation shouldn’t even accept a warning which would also mean that Surya is guilty,” a source in the know of developments said.
After Suryakumar dedicated his team’s victory over the bitter rivals on September 14 to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the Indian military, Pakistan lodged a protest against him.
During his hearing on Thursday, he entered a not guilty plea to the charge and reportedly received instructions not to say anything that might be interpreted as political for the rest of the tournament.
However, Rauf has been disciplined for his aggressive behavior, which includes making fun of the planes’ descent during the game on Sunday by using “abusive language” and hand gestures.
The match referee found Rauf’s behaviors “abusive and aggressive” notwithstanding his insistence that they were not political.
Farhan, meanwhile, denied any code of conduct breach, insisting that the gunfire-style celebration after his half-century on Sunday was simply a “traditional gesture” from his Pakhtun heritage.
The hearing for the Pakistani players was conducted by Richardson at their team hotel in Dubai. Rauf and Farhan appeared before him in person, though their statements had already been submitted in writing, with team manager Naveed Akram Cheema present alongside them.
