The intense competition in the world of cricket has taken a political dimension once again and a complaint has been filed against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against the International Cricket Council (ICC). The PCB accuses the post-match remarks of Yadav after India won the Asia Cup on September 14 by arguing that they were going too far as it brought politics in sport.
After India won the six wickets in the group stage, Yadav dedicated the victory to the families of those victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and praised the courage of the armed forces of India. The April assault, which killed 24 people, temporarily escalated military tensions between the two countries with India accusing Pakistan of taking part in the attack- a fact Islamabad refutes.
On Thursday, the ICC affirmed that it was under consideration of the matter, and could have a formal hearing. According to the Hindustan Times and Dainik Jagran reports, match referee Richie Richardson had reported to Indian officials of two PCB submissions including the speech made by Yadav on the field and his subsequent comments to the media.
The scandal is part of a row of provocative events in this year Asia Cup. Despite the tension, India proceeded to beat Pakistan in the super four round and maintained their winning streak.
In a press conference before they clashed with Sri Lanka, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan dismissed the drama saying that the team is still confident that they will face India in the final. As the two sides are likely to engage in another battle of high stakes, the discussion of where to draw the boundary between patriotism and politics has been getting more vocal.
