Pakistan U19 cricket team mentor and former national captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has criticized India for “unethical behaviour” during their ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 final.
The Green Shirts beat their arch-rivals in the final on Sunday, sparking jubilant scenes in the Pakistan camp in Dubai.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Sarfaraz slammed the Indian team’s behavior during the final.
“India’s conduct regarding the game was not good and the Indian team’s conduct in cricket was unethical,” he said. “But we celebrated the win with sportsmanship because there should always be sportsmanship in cricket; what India did was their own doing.”
Cricket relations between the two neighboring countries have been strained due to geopolitical tensions.
In September, India’s Suryakumar Yadav rejected customary handshakes with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and players during their three Asia Cup 2025 matches, including the final.
The absence of the traditional handshake at the end of matches attracted global attention, with observers pointing to a lack of sportsmanship and gamesmanship from India.
The Indian team also refused to collect the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in the final by five wickets.
The move reportedly came on the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
‘Cash reward of Rs10 million. for each team member’
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a cash reward of Rs10 million for each team member in recognition of their historic achievement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz announced the reward during a lunch hosted by the U19 Asia Cup winning side at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The premier also announced Rs2.5 million for the support staff.
“You gave the opposition a defeat they couldn’t even imagine. We defeated India in Bunyan-um-Marsoos,” he told the players and support staff.
Acknowledging the side’s triumph, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the green shirts had lifted the nation’s head with pride, adding: “You have won the hearts of 240 million people.”
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi said the credit for the victory in the tournament goes to the team for staying focused on the game.
He also noted that the cricket board was building a High-Performance Center in Lahore, which would benefit the players.
