India vs Pakistan Asian Games gold medal match (Screengrabs)
India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games men’s cricket final on Saturday, but the match was much closer than the final score suggests. Pakistan, led by Sahibzada Farhan, pushed India hard, with Hasan Nawaz scoring 96. The match also saw controversy when Pakistan all-rounder Saim Ayub dismissed 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 15 off nine balls.
The presenter questioned the gesture and said, “Did you see that action? Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal criticised Ayub’s celebration during a discussion on the ‘Game Plan’ YouTube show. How unfortunate is that? You are playing such good cricket. You are giving India competition after such a long time. These things don’t look good.”
Akmal agreed with the criticism and said, “These things have been happening for a long time. Our performance hasn’t been great, but we are doing things for social media. The management should think about this.