ICC receives Match Referee's report in Sarfraz Ahmed's recent racial abuse episode

There seems to be no respite for the Pakistani skipper Sarfraz Ahmed in the last couple of days. Ever since he was caught passing racial comments on South African cricketer Andile Phehlukwayo during the second ODI of the ongoing series, Sarfraz has been under the hammer from all corners. The former cricketers and the pundits have criticised his behaviour, and the fans are not happy with the conduct either.

During the second ODI, Andile Phehlukwayo was helping his side ease towards the target. He seemed to have luck riding his way as his aerial shots fell in no man’s land and the woes for the Pakistani side only aggravated. Miffed with the luckless run of the Pakistani fielders and bowlers in the game, Sarfraz was caught on the stump mics saying in Urdu:

“Abey kaale, teri ammi aaj kahaan baitheen hain? Kya parwa ke aaye hai aaj?” which translated to, “Hey black guy, where’s your mother sitting today? What [prayer] have you got her to say for you today?”

He was unaware of the fact that his words were caught on the mic. After the game, Sarfraz Ahmed extended his apology on Twitter and exclaimed that he did not intend to hurt anyone, and his remarks were purely due to the frustration he had on the field. He did not intend to point it out to any particular player, Sarfraz affirmed.

There are reports that suggest that Sarfraz might be banned for 3 to 5 matches. However, this would depend on the decision that the ICC takes. ICC has its Anti-Racism code of conduct and if Sarfraz is found guilty of breaching it, he might be penalised, or perhaps be banned for a few matches. As of now, from the recent reports in ESPNcricinfo, an ICC spokesperson has mentioned that the board has received a report from the match referee on the entire episode.

“The ICC has this afternoon received a report from the Match Referee and we are considering it,” the ICC Spokesperson quoted.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.