Asia Cup 2022 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan is talk of the town due to a heated confrontation between Pak batter Asif Ali and Afghan bowler Fareed Ahmad. The videos circulating all over internet show Asif and Fareed engaging in a physical conflict, leading other team members to intervene and diffuse the situation. The incident divided viewers from both nations.
It appeared that Fareed walked up to Asif agitatedly after dismissing him and Asif shoved his face before raising the bat. Pakistani fans blamed the Afghan bowler for misbehaving with Asif while Afghanistan fans maintained that he physically assaulted Fareed.
What Happened on the Pitch?
The media reporters from the venue claimed that Afghan bowler “provoked” Asif with inappropriate gestures and utterances throughout the final overs of the match which led him to lose his temper and raise his bat in front of Fareed.
Pakistani cricket fans responded angrily towards Fareed, calling him names like “unknown” and “ungrateful”. Here’s is the video, showing the altercation.
Pakistan went on to win the match with 1 wicket to book its final with Sri Lanka on September 9, 2022. Bowler Naseem Shah hit 2 sixes in the final over to chase the target of 130 with only 4 balls left.
#BanAsifAli Trends on Twitter
The incident also resulted in heavy backlash for Asif, who might be in trouble of facing a ban. Even more so than Afghan fans, Indians were at the forefront of this campaign against Asif Ali. Even Indian media reported the incident as if Asif was solely responsible for the unpleasantry.
Some fans argued that Fareed was “celebrating” for taking Asif’s wicket so it was a stupid of him to react this way. It is normal for players to be aggressive on the field but physical assault of any kind is not acceptable. This is why they called to ban the Pakistani batter so he could miss the Asia Cup final.
Potential Ban
According to the reports, the match referee Andy Pycroft has stated both Asif and Fareed my face ban and fine for thier behavior during the match. They have violated the Level 1 of ICC Code of Conduct, resulting in a fine and match suspension. The ban could last for a couple of matches which could see Asif Ali out of the squad for final.
Afghan and Indian fans did not like the ban on Fareed because they thought he did nothing wrong. Some social media users tried to remind them about the time when same referee Andy Pycroft proposed a sanction against South African bowler Kagiso Rabada for celebrating too close to Joe Root. It was during the Port Elizabeth test in January 2020. Rabada was fined 15% of his match fee. Viewers noted that Fareed was even closer than Rabada.
The Asia Cup 2022 tournament was full of fun and thrill since the beginning. It gave viewers many memorable moments from PAK defeating India to Momin Saqib Interacting with Virat Kohli.
