“Shahid Afridi Comments on Harmanpreet Kaur Controversy, Recognizing Its Global Impact”
Criticism persists for Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women's cricket team, regarding her conduct during the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has caused a stir in the cricketing community with her ill-disciplined conduct during the third ODI against Bangladesh. Her actions, including smashing the stumps after dismissal and launching a vehement verbal attack on the umpires in public, have not only drawn severe criticism but also led to a two-game suspension. Her behavior has been widely condemned within India, and even former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has voiced his disapproval.
As per an ICC statement, Harmanpreet faced a 75 percent match fee fine and received four demerit points for violating the Code of Conduct. Shahid Afridi believes that the Indian batter deserved a full 100 percent match fee fine for her actions.
In response to whether a more severe punishment should have been imposed on Harmanpreet, Afridi concurred, stating that the ICC should have taken the opportunity to set a precedent for the future.
“This is not confined to India alone; such incidents have been witnessed in the past as well. However, it is rare to see such behavior in women’s cricket. Considering the significance of the event under ICC, the magnitude of this incident was quite substantial. Setting a precedent through appropriate punishment is essential for future cases. Controlled aggression is acceptable in cricket, but this particular instance went beyond acceptable limits,” Afridi expressed in an interview with Samaa TV.
Due to the accumulation of four demerit points, Harmanpreet faced an automatic suspension for the upcoming two limited-overs games. According to the regulations, when a player accumulates four demerit points, they are required to miss one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, depending on the order of matches.
Unfortunately, the timing of the suspension is highly inconvenient for the Indian women’s team, especially with the upcoming Asian Games participation. As the team has already qualified for the quarter-finals, they will have to manage without their captain for the two crucial knockout games. However, if India does secure a spot in the final, Harmanpreet will be eligible to participate.
