Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been deemed guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
After India defeated Pakistan in their first meeting of the tournament on Sept. 14, Yadav dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. He then also went on to dedicate the win to India’s armed forces for, in his words, the execution of ‘Operation Sindhoor.’
Yadav had pleaded “not guilty” but it was rejected by match referee Richie Richardson. He has been fined 30 percent of his match fee and India has since appealed the verdict.
The Pakistan Cricket Board complained to the ICC about Yadav’s remarks following the match. Political messaging is strictly prohibited by the ICC.
Pakistan found itself in trouble as well. Fast bowler Haris Rauf was also found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in the next meeting that transpired Sept. 21. Rauf was also fined 30 percent of his match fee for appearing to gesture 6-0 with his hands and an aircraft crashing.
There was a claim within Pakistan that six Indian Air Force aircrafts were shot down during ‘Operation Sindhoor.’ Rauf is believed to have engaged in the antics after being taunted by Indian fans.
Batter Sahibzada Farhan was not fined and only given a warning for his celebration of firing a fun when reaching his half-century.
Breaches Add To Drama Of Upcoming Asia Cup Final
These punishments only add to the drama set to take place Sunday when India and Pakistan face each other in the final.
India won each of the first two encounters by seven wickets on the strength of their batting. Pakistan will undoubtedly be charged up for Sunday.
This is the first time in 41 years that these two arch rivals will play the Asia Cup final. The most frequent finale over the course of the 17 editions has been India vs. Sri Lanka. They have played each other in eight finals.
Abhishek Sharma has been the player of the tournament so far. He, too, appeared to engage with Pakistan’s aggression in the most recent match and will look to prove a point.
India are eight-time champions of the event while Pakistan has won it twice. Sri Lanka has won the event six times and no other team has claimed the trophy.
Fans in Dubai can look forward to an electric, tension filled encounter.
