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Pakistan coach breaks silence on Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan's provocative gestures after BCCI's official complaint
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson finally breaks his silence on Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan's provocative gestures.
The decks have been cleared for the third match between India and Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup edition. Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 11 runs in a virtual knockout game on Thursday to seal their place in the final of the eight-team tournament. They will meet Suryakumar Yadav's India on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. Ahead of the marquee encounter, Pakistan coach Mike Hesson broke his silence on the provocative gestures made by Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan during the game against India in the Super 4s stage.
The distasteful gestures led to the BCCI filing a complaint with the match referee, Andy Pycroft, and the ICC. Rauf and Farhan will appear in front of Richie Richardson for a hearing on Friday, and it remains to be seen whether any sanctions will be imposed.
In the game against India, Farhan brought out the gun celebration after completing his fifty, turning his bat into a fictional gun and firing shots in the air. On the other hand, Rauf was constantly seen signalling 6-0 in front of the Indian crowd, alluding to Pakistan's claims of bringing down 6 Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.
Rauf also signalled how the jets were brought down, and this led to a lot of outrage on social media. Faheem Ashraf was also seen making the same gestures during the game.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav lands in trouble after ICC accepts Pakistan's complaint
Hesson said that while all the chatter has been about the off-field drama, his focus remains on ensuring Pakistan play good cricket because that is what his job is all about.
“Look, my message is that we are focused on the cricket and we certainly will be doing that. Those things, you probably know more about than I do. I deal with the cricket side,” Hesson told reporters.
“In terms of gestures, there is always some passion, isn't there? In terms of when you are in high-pressure games, our focus will be on playing a good game. That's a part of my job,” he added.
'Need to be good enough'
India have already beaten Pakistan twice in the Asia Cup 2025 and heading into the final, Agha and his team are underdogs. However, Hesson is taking some confidence from the performance of his team in the Super 4s match against the arch-rival.
"We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there is a reason why they are ranked the top side in the world. We have to put them under pressure, and that will be our challenge," said Hesson.
"I think the way we played against India in the last match was a huge step up from the first game. The first game was a bit passive; we allowed India to control the game. The last match we had that game by the scruff of the neck for long periods, and it took an exceptional innings from Abhishek Sharma that took the game away from us," he added.
Hesson also stated that his side completely deserves to play the final, and hence, they will come out swinging against Surya's team.
"We have deserved this opportunity, so it's now up to us to make the most of it. We have been trying to be in a position to win the trophy," said Hesson.
This is the first time that India and Pakistan will clash against one another in the finals of the Men's Asia Cup.
