Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan and Afghanistan had a crack at each other in a high-intensity drama that unfolded at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on September 7, 2022. The pressure and the situation were such that Pakistan's Asif Ali and Afghanistan bowler Fareed Ahmad indulged in a heated battle. The severity of the situation was such that the two players almost hit each other. The ICC has taken up this matter with a lot of seriousness and is looking forward to handling this matter appropriately. For the time being, the International Cricket Council has held these players guilty and can soon take strict actions against them.
Both Asif Ali from Pakistan and Fareed Ahmad from Afghanistan have been fined 25 percent of their match fees. Under level 1 offense according to ICC's constitution. The International Cricket Council has stated that Asif Ali has breached section 2.6 of the constitution which deals with getting into physical fights and swearing at opposition during an ongoing cricket match. On the other hand, Afghanistan's bowler Fareed Ahmad has breached section 2.1.12 which deals with getting physical with support staff, umpires, and match referee.
The International Cricket Council has also added one demerit point to its records. Contrary to whatever happened on the field, both Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmad have had a clean record for the past 24 months. According to the International Cricket Council, if one demerit point is added to anybody's record, it stays with them for a span of the next two years (24 months) and if a player gets 4 demerit points in 2 years, he/she might be eligible for a ban.
As of now, both these players have accepted their fault and the punishment that has been handed over to them by the match referee. Since it was an open-ended case, the ICC did not conduct any in-house hearings. The two players involved were charged by umpires Anil Chaudhary, Jairam Madangopal, and third umpire Gazi Sohail.
