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Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson addresses Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan’s gestures ahead of the Asia Cup final against India.
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has said that his team is just focused on the cricket ahead of a big-ticket clash against arch-rivals India in the final of the Asia Cup, adding that the gestures from Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan are just an outburst of passion.
Pakistan’s bowling unit came to the party when it mattered the most as they defended a paltry 135 with all its might against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, winning the Super 4s game by 11 runs to set up a maiden Asia Cup title clash with arch-rivals India.
The offensive gestures prompted BCCI to file a complaint with match referee Andy Pycroft and ICC.
During the game against arch-rivals India, Farhan celebrated his fifty by mimicking a gun, turning his bat into an imaginary firearm and firing shots into the air.
Rauf made a gesture indicating how the jets were brought down, which sparked widespread outrage on social media.
“My message is that we are focused on the cricket and we will be doing that. Those things, you probably know more about than I do. I deal with the cricket side. In terms of gestures, there is always some passion, isn’t there?” Hesson said while speaking to the media at the post-match press conference.
“In terms of when you are in high-pressure games, our focus will be on playing a good game. That is a part of my job,” Hesson added.
India have already beaten Pakistan twice in the Asia Cup 2025. As the final approaches, Salman Ali Agha and his side find themselves as underdogs.
“We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there is a reason why they are ranked the top side in the world. We have to put them under pressure and that will be our challenge,” Hesson said.
September 26, 2025, 10:49 IST
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