ICC Set To Hear Indo-Pak On-Field Tensions

The India-Pakistan cricketing rivalry has taken a new turn. Recent acrimonious exchanges between the sides have now ensured that the administrators have to step into the matter.

Following a series of complaints and counter-complaints lodged by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against each other's players, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has scheduled hearings for Thursday, September 25. Meanwhile, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has added fuel to the fire.

Naqvi posted a video of Cristiano Ronaldo gesturing like a crashing plane, mirroring an act Harris Rauf performed during the Super Four match on September 21. Rauf's gesture was widely interpreted towards the armed conflict between the nations earlier this year.

How the saga unfolds remains to be seen. The ICC, on Thursday, is all set to hear the BCCI's complaints against the Haris Rauf gesture as well as Sahibzada Farhan's bat gun celebration while celebrating his fifty at the same time.

A separate hearing has also been scheduled for the PCB's complaint against India's Suryakumar Yadav, whose post-match remarks following the September 14 league fixture expressed solidarity with the Pahalgam terror victims and the Indian Army. Match referee Andy Pycroft will preside over the BCCI's case, while Richie Richardson will adjudicate the complaint against the India skipper.

At first instance, these issues might seem minor, but in highly charged clashes between these two nations in the armed conflict earlier this year, these gestures are unmistakably political statements, which is a complete breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The two teams could also be in line for a third face-off in this competition, this time in the final on September 28. India has beaten Pakistan by 7 & 6 wickets respectively in the two matches played so far.