Sarfaraz Ahmed caught red-handed breaking ICC rule in IND vs PAK u19 World Cup 2026 match

Sarfaraz Ahmed for Pakistan - (Source: X.com)

On Sunday, February 1, India and Pakistan Under-19 sides locked horns in the all-important super eight clash of World Cup 2026 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. It's a do-or die game for both teams as Pakistan need a win and that too by a big margin to stay alive in the tournament.

India, on the other hand, have kept a foot in the semi-finals, but a heavy defeat against Pakistan can see them crash out of the tournament with just one defeat. Therefore, it is a high-pressure game, and amid this, Pakistan U-19 head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has come under the scanner for a dubious act.

Sarfaraz Khan caught using a phone from the dressing room

For those who didn’t tune into the game, after the 25th over in the first innings, the camera panned to Pakistan’s dressing room, where Sarfaraz was caught using a mobile phone. Notably, the ICC has prohibited using any communication devices in the dressing room because it can be used to cheat or even fix games.

Therefore, Sarfaraz’s action has come under the scanner, and there are chances that the match referee and ICC might intervene. Notably, the dressing room comes under Player and Match Officials Area), and ICC has prohibited mobile phones in PMOA.

What does ICC rules say about PMOA

4.1 Subject strictly to the exceptions set out in Article 4.2, the following prohibitions shall apply from the moment that the first Player of any participating team enters the PMOA for an International Match right through until the formal conclusion of the day’s play:

4.1.1 No person shall be allowed to use and/or carry any Mobile Device for any reason whatsoever, whether to access the Internet or otherwise, in the PMOA.

4.1.2 No person shall be allowed to use and/or or carry, any laptop computer (or any other similar communication device) for any reason whatsoever, whether to access the Internet or otherwise, in the PMOA

How can Sarfaraz Ahmed escape sanction from the ICC

Notably, despite the prohibitions mentioned by the ICC, there is one clause that the International Cricket Council allows the manager to have one phone only for official purposes. Therefore, the device that Sarfaraz was using could be for official purposes. Here is what the rules suggest.

4.2.1 Each team manager shall be permitted to carry a Mobile Device within the PMOA, provided that it can only be used either: (a) by him/her for cricket operations purposes; and/or (b) by any Player or Player Support Personnel for any important personal matter, provided that the team manager has given his express permission to the Player or Player Support Personnel before such use;

4.2.2 Each team media manager shall be permitted to carry a Mobile Device within the PMO. Any such device must be turned into silent mode at all times whilst such an individual is in the PMOA and must not be used for any purpose inside the PMOA. 

Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, India are struggling and have put 172/5 after 38 overs.