Cricket players, fans, experts and officials must bring the sport back to a “moment of sane” when India and Pakistan meet in the Asian Cup 2025 final on Sunday, says former player and administrator Ramis Raja.
Millions of fans from South Asian countries and around the world will take a breath and watch the game as they track the game as they unfold for the third fifteen days at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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“We have to lower the temperature and all eyes should be in the game of cricket,” Raja told Al Jazeera on the eve of the final.
“Not only the responsibility of the cricket boards and players, but also fans, stakeholders and social media commentators, everyone needs a moment of sanity to demonstrate acuity, as emotions are still born.”
Fallout of mixing politics with cricket
The accumulation in the final is dominated by actions that have little to do with the sport itself. It responded by slapsing both sides on the wrist, whether it was a cell phone line, a politically loaded statement, a controversial gesture, or a complaint filed with the game’s admins.
The match will take place in the aftermath of a disciplinary hearing held by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Pakistan Cricket Committee (PCB) and the Indian Cricket Committee (BCCI) filed complaints about the statements and gestures of rival players.
India’s captain Suryakumaryadav made his first appearance at a hearing at ICC headquarters in Dubai on Thursday. The PCB challenged his reference to Operation Sindore (a military operation carried out by Indian forces in Pakistan in May following the seven-wicket victory on September 14th.
Pakistan’s Sabizadafahan and Harrisrauf were summoned to ICC headquarters on Friday at the second meeting on September 21, when India won a Super Force Fixture with six wickets.
Farhan mimics gunfires to celebrate the half-century maiden against India, and Rauf was seen responding to the heckling of the crowd by gestures of the plane’s collapse and lifting his fingers to express the alleged claims that are said to be references to Pakistan’s claims to defeat six Indian Air Force planes during the four-day conflict.
ICC match referee Richie Richardson held the hearing.
Al Jazeera understands that Yadav and Rauf have been fined 30% of their respective match fees, but Farhan has received a warning from Richardson.
The ICC has not formally announced sanctions. Al Jazeera contacted the ICC for comment on the hearing but was not responded.
With the off-field play being addressed, Raja believes it is attracting attention.
“The ICC’s decision to fine players on both sides must have helped reduce the pressure on players (players) and redefine the rules of engagement,” he explained.
Raja, who had been at the helm of the PCB in the past, said the situation was serious in the aftermath of Yadav’s comments and the Pakistani player’s gestures, and it was confusion that both parties were able to avoid it.
Sunday’s match marks the first India vs Pakistan final in the Asian Cup. This was a fateful meeting that organizers, broadcasters and sponsors could have dreamed of within 31 years of the start of the tournament, and never managed to pull apart the 15 iterations.
The bilateral cricket series and tour remained suspended between two nuclear-armed neighbors, with ICC events and meetings at regional competitions being highly anticipated.
“Attention has to go back to cricket.”
Raja, a former Pakistani captain, has urged players to refrain from causing political tensions to boil over the cricket field.
“It (mixing politics and sports) takes away the innocence of cricketers because it is not intended to engage in political rhetoric,” he said.
Raja played 38 international matches against India during his career from 1984 to 1997.
“It’s an unfamiliar territory (players) to them. They don’t know how much they have to say.”
Pakistan’s captain Salman Aga cut a calm photo before the proverb storm on Saturday.
He chose not to comment on provocative questions about the Indian team and the media, reiterating his stance of playing “good cricket” in the final.
Meanwhile, Indian bowling coach Morn Morkel, who spoke to the media late on Friday, also anticipated a tough battle between the bat and the ball.
“I look forward to Sunday’s fight.”
Raja agreed and said the conversation should go further.
“The debate is whether Pakistan will (finally) unlock the game or will it be a third malfunction (against India)?”
India remained undefeated on the way to the final, and Pakistan’s only loss in the tournament came against India.
Pakistan has now lost seven international matches against India.
Despite the unilateral consequences of recent years, India vs Pakistan continues to be the most sold item in international cricket, and Raja believes politics is involved in it.
“The whole world is waiting for this contest not because of the skill level of players or the quality of the contest, but because of the political pursuit between these two countries,” he said.
However, on Sunday, Raja hopes that attention will return to the sport when India and Pakistan meet to write yet another historical chapter of their bitter rivalry.
