A recent social media post by Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Mohsin Naqvi has stirred new controversy, escalating the already tense cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan. The post, featuring a Cristiano Ronaldo video, has been widely interpreted as a provocative gesture, echoing a similar incident involving Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf.
Mohsin Naqvi, who holds the significant positions of both Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, further fueled the ongoing cricket dispute on Wednesday. He shared a slow-motion video of football icon Cristiano Ronaldo on `X`, in which Ronaldo appears to make a gesture depicting an aircraft crashing. This action closely resembles a controversial on-field signal made by Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf during the recent match against India. Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan`s Interior Minister, is known for making provocative statements directed at India.
An alternative interpretation suggests that Ronaldo`s gesture in the video might simply be him illustrating the trajectory and dip of a direct free-kick before it entered the goal.
Rauf`s initial gesture, made during the India-Pakistan clash last Sunday, was interpreted as mocking India`s military action. This came in response to Indian supporters chanting `Kohli, Kohli`, referencing the impactful, match-winning sixes hit by the Indian legend against Rauf during a T20 World Cup game at the MCG in 2022.
Given these developments, questions have arisen regarding whether the Indian team, now a finalist in the Asia Cup, will share a platform with ACC Chairman Naqvi.
The incident has not gone unnoticed by top officials within both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). The cricketing world awaits to see if any disciplinary action will be taken against Naqvi.
In a related development, on the eve of Pakistan`s final Super 4 match of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh, the team`s pacer Shaheen Afridi was questioned by reporters about the on-field gestures made by Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan. Shaheen acknowledged that the team`s focus should primarily be on playing cricket, rather than on elaborate celebrations.
Addressing the criticism Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan received for their actions against India, Shaheen stated, “Look, our job is to play cricket. Honestly, everyone has the right to express themselves the way they want to.”
Afridi attempted to downplay the uproar caused by Pakistan`s on-field behavior, commenting, “Everyone has their own thoughts… Everyone has their own respect. Everyone thinks the way they think. But our job is to play cricket. We have come to win the tri-nation Series. We have come to win the Asia Cup. And we, God willing, as a team, are doing our best.”
