Is the ICC Becoming the Indian Cricket Council? A Question of Fairness
Seriously, why doesn’t the ICC just change its name to the Indian Cricket Council now? Most of the top positions are already held by Indians, and the kind of decisions they’re making make it clear that this isn’t the International Cricket Council anymore — it’s turning into something else entirely.
Let’s talk about the recent case of Haris Rauf. The ICC has handed him a two-match ban, fined him 30% of his match fee, and added two demerit points to his record. Now he has four demerit points in total.
Alright, fines and demerit points are understandable — that’s part of the system. But the two-match ban? That’s hard to justify. This decision was made by the ICC’s Elite Panel of Match Referees after a hearing. But honestly, this could’ve been done much earlier. Why wait this long just to make a decision like this?
And the inconsistency is what really bothers fans. Look at Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) — his case was clearly politically motivated. He made statements and gestures after the match that had an obvious political angle. What did the ICC do? Just fined him 30% of his match fee and gave him demerit points. No ban.
If Haris Rauf breached Article 2.21 of the ICC Code of Conduct, then so did others. Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have shown similar gestures on the field. They only got official warnings. Sahibzada Farhan too — only a warning. So why the double standards?
Fans are frustrated and confused. Many are messaging me, asking how this decision even makes sense. It feels like Haris Rauf has been treated unfairly. A fine and demerit points would have been enough, but a two-match suspension? That’s excessive.
Haris didn’t even use words — it was just gestures. But Suryakumar Yadav did use words. Yet, he got off lightly. If Haris deserves a two-match ban, then SKY should’ve been banned too. The law should be the same for everyone, right?
But it’s clear now — politics has seeped deep into cricket. The ICC seems to be playing favorites. And this favoritism is damaging the spirit of the game.
As for Haris Rauf, he’ll miss a couple of games — probably one against South Africa — and then return. But the principle here matters. Even PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) is expected to respond to this soon. Because the way ICC handled this is, frankly, nonsense.
And don’t even get me started on the Asia Cup trophy — people are still joking that it’s lying in the Asian Cricket Council office in Dubai. If it’s really there, just go and pick it up.
The bottom line is simple: Haris Rauf has been wronged. The ICC’s selective punishment and political bias are becoming more and more obvious. Cricket should remain cricket — not a political playground.
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