Pakistan’s Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmad of Afghanistan have been fined 25% of their match fees for a heated exchange in their thrilling Asia Cup match in Sharjah.
Pakistan defeated Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 7, by a single wicket, securing a spot in the tournament’s championship match, which will take place later this week. Sri Lanka qualified by displacing India and Afghanistan in addition to Pakistan.
Asif Ali was observed having a heated argument with Afghan fast bowler Fareed Ahmad Malik during the game. The other players and umpires on the pitch had to step in after Asif was spotted aiming his bat at the speedster.
A video clearly depicts that Fareed was the first one to signal aggressiveness towards Asif.
I'm sorry but this was NOT celebration, this was CLEAR provocation and Asif Ali rightly pushed him away. @ICC must fine Fareed the Idiot pic.twitter.com/EHCeVU5sAj
— T (@Tabeshq) September 7, 2022
According to sources, match referee Andy Pycroft called the two players to a hearing after the game and summoned them. He explained to the players the penalties for violating Level 1 of the rule. Pycroft is one of the ICC panel’s strictest match referees, according to senior sports journalist Abdul Majid Bhatti, and both players could receive the harshest punishment.
Read More: Shafiq Stanikzai: Asif Ali should be banned from the rest of the tournament
He claimed that because Afghanistan had already been eliminated from the competition, Ahmed’s possible suspension had no impact on them. Pakistan may run into difficulty as they attempt to win the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka if they lose one of their most reliable batsmen. However, the players were only fined and Asif Ali was, fortunately, not suspended.
Pakistan’s journey through the Asia Cup 2022
The Asia Cup has so far lived up to expectations with competitive games and exciting finishes. In the Super 4 phases, Pakistan and Sri Lanka defeated India and Afghanistan to go to the finals.
The 2022 Asia Cup has served as a significant tryout for the next T20I World Cup in 2022. Both sides will try to advance to the finals with confidence and momentum by winning this meaningless final Super 4 game. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will face each other on 9th September 2022 in Dubai before the final on Sunday, 11th September at the same venue.
In this Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan has been performing admirably. After losing to India in their opening match of the 2022 Asia Cup, they absolutely decimated Hong Kong in the group stage, beat Afghanistan in a close game, and advanced to face Sri Lanka in the championship match.