The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav 30 percent of his match fee over comments made during the Asia Cup clash against Pakistan on September 14. His remarks, which linked India’s win to cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack, were deemed to breach the ICC Code of Conduct.
Suryakumar had dedicated India’s seven-wicket victory to the victims of the April attack and to the armed forces. Following a complaint lodged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), match referee Richie Richardson held a hearing on September 25, where Suryakumar’s not-guilty plea was rejected. He was cautioned against making political references for the remainder of the tournament. The BCCI has appealed the ruling, with the final between India and Pakistan scheduled for Sunday.
The PCB’s action against Suryakumar came in response to a BCCI complaint regarding the conduct of Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan during their Super 4 encounter on September 21. Haris was fined 30 percent of his match fee, while Farhan received an official reprimand.
Haris was accused of making provocative gestures, including signalling “6-0” toward the Indian crowd—widely interpreted as a reference to Pakistan’s unverified claims from the May conflict. He also mimicked a fighter jet going down after being taunted by Indian fans. Farhan, meanwhile, imitated firing a gun with his bat after reaching his half-century.
Both players denied any political intent. Farhan argued that similar gestures had been used by former Indian captains MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in the past, while Haris maintained his actions were meaningless and questioned ICC officials on their interpretation of the gestures.
The disciplinary actions underline escalating tensions between the two cricket boards, even as the tournament nears its much-anticipated finale.
