PCB chairman Najam Sethi shrugs off actions of Hasan Ali at the Attari-Wagah border

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman refuses to put much importance to the conduct of pacer Hasan Ali at the India – Pakistan border, or as it is more popularly known, the Attari – Wagah border. The Pakistan cricket team had recently visited the border to witness the traditional flag lowering ceremony, where border forces of both the nations participate and put up a show together for the visitors of India and Pakistan. Pictures of the team visiting the ceremony had been shared by PCB on their official social media handles.

However, a video went viral shortly after where the 24-year-old Pakistani pacer Hasan Ali was seen imitating the Border Security Force rangers of India. He went on to pat his thighs, flex his muscles at the Indian soldiers and visitors before doing his signature step for celebrating a wicket. This could be a fun banter on Ali’s side, but Indian media and fans did not take it in a humorous way at all. He has been constantly trolled for his antics on the internet.

Sethi dismisses Hasan Ali’s stunt at Wagah

But in the quarterly meeting of ICC on Thursday, chairman Najam Sethi shrugged the incident off and refused to attach much significance to it. He passed it as something that every fast bowler does whenever they visit the border – to show off their signature style of celebration.

“Cricket teams always go to the Wagah Border. Fast bowlers do what they do. I do not attribute any importance to it,” Sethi said on the sidelines.

Clearly, Sethi wanted to steer clear of the conversation and he did so to avoid the “politics”. “I do not want to discuss, otherwise you will bring politics into it,” the chairman said.

Instead, he brought the focus of the conversation back to talking about the “binding contract” that PCB is claiming to have with BCCI. According to them, the contract is for six bilateral series that is to be played between India and Pakistan within the time period of 2015 to 2023.

Clearly, that has not happened so far, and there seems to be no sign of happening any soon either. Thus the PCB has started the dispute resolution proceedings against the Indian board and has filed for 70 million USD in compensation. The hearing of the dispute will take place in Dubai, sometime in October this year. ICC has entrusted a three-member panel to settle the issue.

As per Sethi, PCB continues to stand their ground in the matter. The rest is in the hand of the committee panel to come to a decision.

“We say it’s a binding contract, let them decide whether it’s a contract or not. We have challenged it. This question will be decided by the dispute resolution committee of the ICC. We will wait for the dispute resolution,” he said to the reporters.

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