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Pakistan's Rauf and Indian skipper Yadav punished over Asia Cup behaviour / Photo: © AFP
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Pakistan's Rauf and Indian skipper Yadav punished over Asia Cup behaviour
Pakistan paceman Haris Rauf and Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav were punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday for their inflammatory behaviour in September's Asia Cup.
India and Pakistan met three times during the tournament -- India beating their bitter rivals in all three matches, including the September 28 final in Dubai -- and on each occasion the sides refused to shake hands.
There was added tension between them at the Asia Cup because of the four-day conflict in May that resulted in more than 70 deaths in missile, drone and military fire on each side.
It had been sparked by a terror attack in Pahalgam on the Indian side of Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.
In one of the matches, Rauf mimicked a fighter jet crashing before showing a "6-0" hand signal, referring to the number of planes the Pakistanis claim they shot down during the conflict.
Suryakumar dedicated the win over Pakistan in the first match on September 14 to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and the Indian armed forces, and after the final refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The Indian players instead celebrated retaining their regional crown by mimicking holding a trophy.
Naqvi, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan interior minister, said afterwards they were "welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me".
The ICC ruled both Rauf and Suryakumar -- the ICC said the latter's behaviour "brings the game into disrepute" -- would forfeit 30 percent of their match fee and receive two demerit points.
The latter punishment raised Rauf's total to four demerit points in the past two years "resulting in two suspension points".
As a result he will miss the first two one-day Internationals, on Tuesday and Thursday this week, against South Africa in Faisalabad.
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan and Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah got off more lightly with a warning and one demerit point each.
Farhan had mimicked a gun celebration after hitting a half-century.
Bumrah celebrated by mimicking a crashing-plane after he dismissed Rauf for six in the final.
The ICC said the punishments were the outcome of several code of conduct proceedings held by match referees Richie Richardson and Andy Pycroft.
F. Tavares--JDB
