At an official hearing of the international body on a complaint submitted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), India captain Suryakumar Yadav was instructed by ICC match referee Richie Richardson on Thursday to avoid saying anything that can be interpreted as political in character.
The hearing against Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf regarding a complaint brought by the BCCI will take place on Friday.
After the match between India and Pakistan on September 14, in which Suryakumar refused to shake hands and subsequently dedicated the victory to the Indian military for conducting Operation Sindoor in May, the PCB is said to have filed the complaint within the allotted seven days.
Additionally, he showed support for the victims of the horrific assault in Pahalgam.
“Surya attended the ICC hearing today. He was accompanied by BCCI’s COO and Cricket Operations Manager. Richardson explained to him that he shouldn’t be making any comments that could be seen as political in nature. The sanction can’t be ascertained. Since it falls under Level 1, it could either be a warning or a financial penalty of 15 percent deductions in match fees,” a tournament source privy to the details said.
Rauf and Farhan, two Pakistani cricketers, were the subject of an official complaint from India to the ICC earlier for their provocative actions during last Sunday’s Asia Cup Super 4 match between the two teams.
According to reliable sources, the ICC received the email from the BCCI, which lodged the complaint against the two on Wednesday.
Rauf mocked India’s military action during the September 21 match by making gestures that showed a plane being brought down after Indian fans chanted “Kohli, Kohli” in reference to the two game-winning sixes that the Indian legend hit off the pacer at MCG during a 2022 T20 World Cup match.
During his bowling spell, he hurled abuses at Indian openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, but the young duo chose the perfect reply—with their bats.
Using his bat as a machine gun prop, Sahibzada celebrated with a gun-firing gesture during the same game, which has drawn a lot of criticism.
“That celebration was just a moment at that time. I do not do a lot of celebrations after scoring 50. But, it suddenly came to my mind that let’s do a celebration today. I did that. I don’t know how people will take it. I don’t care about that,” Farhan had told reporters after the match.
At the hearing, Rauf and Sahibzada will both be required to explain their gestures. Should the players’ responses be deemed unconvincing, they may be subject to punishment in accordance with the code of conduct.
