The Weekly Wicket: IND-PAK Off-Field Drama To Mithun Manhas As BCCI President- Top Highlights (PICS)

The past week in cricket saw BCCI-PCB tensions, India's Super Over win against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, Mithun Manhas becoming BCCI president, R Ashwin's BBL signing, and Nepal stunning West Indies with a famous victory.

The penultimate week of September has been packed with cricketing drama, with India-Pakistan off-field controversies, thrilling matches, historic milestones, and administrative changes in the BCCI, including the appointment of Mithun Mahas as its president, capturing the attention of fans worldwide.

As the fourth week of September concludes, let's take a look at the cricket top highlights of the week that kept the fans on the edge of their seat.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were at loggerheads as both boards lodged the complaints with the International Cricket Council (ICC). BCCI complained to the ICC over Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan for their provocative gestures in the Super 4 clash, and PCB countered by lodging the complaint against India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for dedicating the Men in Blue's group stage victory over arch-rivals to the Pahalgam terror attack victims and the Indian Defence Forces for successfully carrying out Operation Sindoor.

Based on the complaints by BCCI and PCB, ICC convened the hearings and ruled that Suryakumar Yadav and Haris Rauf were fined 30% of their match fees for breaching the code of conduct, Sahibzada Farhan was left off with a warning. India and Pakistan both reserved the right to appeal the fines, with BCCI officially contesting the penalty on Suryakumar Yadav.

The BCCI senior men's team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, announced the 15-member India squad for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, which will begin on October 2. The squad was announced amid the Men in Blue's campaign in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Ravindra Jadeja was named as vice-captain in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is still recovering from a foot injury. Jasprit Bumrah also added to the squad amid his workload management.

However, Karun Nair was dropped from the Test squad after he failed to deliver his best in his comeback after 8 years in the series against England. The upcoming Test series will be India's first home assignment since the whitewash at the hands of New Zealand last year and the first home assignment as captain for Shubman Gill.

Veteran Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from the IPL in August this year, made a historic signing with Sydney Thunder in the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League. The four BBL franchises, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, and Adelaide Strikers, were in contention to acquire the services of the veteran Indian spinner, and Thunder emerged as the destination for Ashwin.

Aswhin will join Thunder in the latter stages of the upcoming BBL after finishing his stint with International League T20 (ILT20) in the UAE, for which he had registered for the auction. The Big Bash League was the first major overseas T20 signing for Ravichandran Ashwin after being free from BCCI contractual obligations, which restrict contract Indian players from participating in overseas T20 leagues.

Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of taking a break from cricket for a period of six months due to back stiffness following a surgery in the UK. This came after Shreyas Iyer quit India A captaincy and withdrew from the squad ahead of the second unofficial Test against Australia in Lucknow. Iyer led India A in the first four-day Test, which concluded on September 19.

The sudden withdrawal from the India A squad after the first unofficial Test against Australia A raised concerns within the BCCI. The BCCI released an official statement, which confirmed Shreyas Iyer's break from red-ball cricket and thus, was not picked in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup. However, Shreyas will continue to feature in white-ball cricket as he was named captain of India A in the three unofficial ODI matches against Australia, starting on September 30.

In a big blow to USA Cricket, the International Cricket Council suspended its membership with immediate effect. In a statement released by the ICC, USA Cricket has been cited for repeated breaches of obligations as a member of the world governing body. The breaches include a lack of a functional governance structure and progress toward the National Governing Body status with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

However, USA Cricket's participation in the next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, as well as the LA Olympics 2028, will not be impacted. The Normalisation Committee, appointed by the ICC to guide USA Cricket, has outlined the steps required to lift the suspension and restore its membership rights.

Team India continued to remain unbeaten in the Asia Cup 2025, pulling off a thrilling Super Over victory in their final Super 4 match against Sri Lanka in Dubai. Posting a total of 202/5, significant contributions from Abhishek Sharma (61), Tilak Varma (49*), Sanju Samson (39), and Axar Patel (21*), Team India failed to defend it as Pathum Nissanka's brilliant century (107), a fine fifty by Kusal Perera (58), and Dasun Shanaka's crucial 22-run innings forced the match into a Super Over.

However, India managed to win the Super Over after Arshdeep Singh circumscribed Sri Lanka to 2/2 in five balls before Suryakumar Yadav finished off the chase by scoring the required three runs off the first ball by Wanindu Hasaranga. This was the first Super Over in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.

Former Delhi Captain and IPL cricketer, Mithun Manhas, has been appointed unopposed as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He was elected to the top post of the BCCI during the board's Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its headquarters in Mumbai. Manhas succeeded Roger Binny, who had to step down from the role after turning 70, as per BCCI norms.

The 45-year-old became the first uncapped Indian cricketer to be elected as the BCCI president. Meanwhile, Rajv Shukla and Devajit Saikia have been reelected as vice-president and secretary, respectively, while Raghuram Bhatt was elected as the treasurer, succeeding Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, who has been elected to the post of joint secretary.

The Nepal Cricket Team stunned the cricketing world by defeating the West Indies in the first T20I of the three-match series in the UAE. After posting a total of 148/8 in 20 overs, thanks to vital contributions from skipper Rohit Paudel (38), Kushal Malla (30), and Gulshan Jha (22), Nepal restricted the West Indies to 129/9 in 20 overs, to seal a famous 19-run win. A collective bowling effort from Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC, Kushal Bhurtel, Paudel, Nandan Yadav, and Lalit Rajbanshi helped Nepal to secure a historic victory.

This was Nepal's first-ever win over a full-member side in international cricket, marking a historic milestone for the team and boosting their confidence for the remainder of the T20I series.

Team India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in the high-stakes Asia Cup 2025 amid the off-field drama, with tensions running high following ICC fines, heated board complaints, and media and fans' scrutiny adding extra pressure to the much-anticipated final clash. This will be the third face-off between two arch-rivals in the Asia Cup 2025 and the first since Haris Rauf's controversial gestures, intending to mock the Indian Defence Forces.

India have had an unbeaten run in the tournament, while Pakistan lost two matches, both against the Men in Blue, making the final a do-or-die clash where both teams will aim to assert dominance on and off the field. The Men in Blue have won the last seven outings against Pakistan, giving them a psychological edge, but Pakistan will be desperate to break the streak and claim glory in the high-pressure Asia Cup 2025 final.

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