 "Pakistan cricket head Mohsin Naqvi visited team's training session before match against India last Sunday. Image: PTI")
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has reportedly decided to personally pay the fine imposed on Haris Rauf after the pacer was sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) . Rauf has been punished for his gestures during the Asia Cup Super 4 clash against bitter rivals India in Dubai on September 21, which Pakistan lost by 6 wickets.
Naqvi to pay Rauf’s fine
According to reports on Pakistani news channels, Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, stepped in after Rauf was fined 30 percent of his match fee for his behaviour during the high-voltage game. During the India match in the Asia Cup Super 4, Rauf was seen exchanging heated words with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill . He was also seen showing a fighter jet gesture and signalling 6-0 to the crowd while being teased by them at the boundary.
The fighter jet and 6-0 references are linked to the recent skirmish between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor to target terrorists on Pakistani soil after 26 tourists were killed in Pahalgam. The Pakistani military then responded by launching attacks on Indian cities that resulted in an all-out war between the two neighbours.
Why India-Pakistan match turn bitter?
During the tensions in May, there were claims doing the rounds on Pakistani social media and TV channels that their Air Force downed six Indian fighter jets. Rauf was referring to this during their Super 4 clash with India. His reaction was triggered by the Indian team’s refusal to shake Pakistani players’ hands during the group stage match on September 14.
It appears that the Pakistani team was instructed from the top to use these signals during the match against India after what happened in the previous game, where Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and the armed forces. Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), even shared a video of Cristiano Ronaldo , where the footballer can be seen doing a plane takeoff celebration after a goal.
Meanwhile, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was also fined 30 percent of his match fee for his political statement. The ICC said his remarks were against the code of conduct. The PCB had filed a complaint against Suryakumar Yadav after the first India-Pakistan match in the tournament. There are chances that even the Indian team was instructed by the BCCI top brass to avoid any signs of courtesy with Pakistani players, fearing backlash back home.
India and Pakistan will now face each other again in the Asia Cup 2025 final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 28. This will be their third meeting in the tournament, with India having already beaten Pakistan twice.