The International Cricket Council (ICC) has barred Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav from making political statements after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged an official complaint regarding his remarks during and after the high-profile India-Pakistan clash earlier this month.
According to sources, Yadav appeared before ICC officials at its Dubai headquarters on Thursday. The move followed a formal letter from the PCB objecting to his statements, which included dedicating India’s victory to victims of the Pahalgam attack and the armed forces.
In response, the ICC issued a directive prohibiting Yadav from making political comments in the future, stressing that “no political statements of any kind will be made on the ground going forward.”
Match referee’s findings
Indian daily Dainik Jagran reported that match referee Richie Richardson had emailed the Indian team management confirming the ICC’s receipt of two official reports from the PCB. These covered Yadav’s speech at the presentation ceremony and his comments in the post-match press conference.
Richardson reportedly concluded that Yadav’s remarks “potentially harmed the image of the sport” and that a formal charge should be brought against him. The Indian captain now faces the choice of either accepting the charge or appearing in a formal hearing with representatives from the ICC, PCB, BCCI, and himself.
What Yadav said
Following India’s victory over Pakistan on September 14, Yadav used his post-match address to dedicate the win to victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
“Perfect occasion, taking the time out, we stand by the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. We express our solidarity... Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery,” Yadav said.
Later in a press conference, he revealed that Indian players had skipped handshakes with the Pakistani side in line with instructions from the BCCI and the Indian government.
“Our government and BCCI, we were aligned today... We came here to just play the game,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that Pakistani cricketers Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan have been summoned to the ICC headquarters on Friday after a complaint lodged by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The details of the allegations have not yet been officially disclosed.
