Cricketers Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan of Pakistan have been the subject of an official complaint from India to the International Cricket Council for their aggressive actions during Sunday’s Asia Cup Super 4 match between the two teams in Dubai.
The ICC has received the email from the BCCI, which lodged the complaint against the two on Wednesday.
If Sahibzada and Rauf write down their denials of these accusations, an ICC hearing is anticipated. They may be required to appear for a hearing before ICC Elite Panel Referee Richie Richardson.
In a retaliatory move, the Pakistan Cricket Board appears to have filed an official complaint with the ICC against Suryakumar Yadav. The complaint stems from Yadav’s remarks following the September 14 match against Pakistan, in which he expressed solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicated India’s victory to the nation’s armed forces.
According to the PCB, Surya’s remarks are “political,” even though a formal complaint must be filed within seven days of the remark.
During the September 21 match, Rauf made gestures suggesting the downing of a plane, mocking India’s military action. The provocation came after Indian fans chanted “Kohli, Kohli,” recalling the two match-winning sixes Virat Kohli had struck off him at the MCG during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
During his bowling on Sunday, Rauf launched taunts at Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, to which the two young players retaliated with their strokeplay.
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 told reporters on Monday.
At the ICC hearing, Rauf and Sahibzada will both be required to defend their gestures; if they are unable to convince Richardson, they may be subject to fines under the ICC code of conduct.
Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council and the chairman of the PCB, added gasoline to the fire on Wednesday by sharing a slow-motion video of Cristiano Ronaldo on X. In the video, the Portuguese soccer legend is seen pointing out that an airplane crashed unexpectedly, which is similar to what Rauf did on the field during Sunday’s match.
Naqvi, the interior minister of Pakistan, has a history of making divisive remarks about India.
