The strained political relations between India and Pakistan were visible even as the two nations squared off in the Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday. The Indian team lodged a ‘silent protest’ against Pakistan, refusing to shake their hands in the 7-wicket victory in Dubai. The non-cricketing drama inside the stadium even prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to knock the doors of the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft. PCB’s appeal to ICC came after Pycroft asked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to avoid shaking hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav during the toss.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi shared the news of the development on social media. His post on X (formerly Twitter) read: “The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded the immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup.”
Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), accused Pycroft of violating the ICC Code of Conduct and MCC laws with his stand at the time of the toss.
Earlier, Asian Cricket Council sources told NDTV that the match referee forgot to tell the Pakistan players of ‘no handshake’ protocol at the end of the match. He even apologised to the Pakistan team for this mistake.
The PCB, in a late-night statement released in Urdu to domestic media, described Pycroft’s decision as “against sportsmanship” and said team manager Naveed Akram Cheema registered a “formal protest against the match referee’s behavior” with the International Cricket Council. The ICC is yet to issue a public response.
“Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi wrote in a post on X. “Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Lets hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace.”
Suryakumar, who hit the winning runs for India, didn’t wait for the customary handshakes with opposing players after the match before walking to the dressing room along with his teammate Shivam Dube.
Agha reacted by skipping a post-match TV interview with former India international cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, a move which Pakistan coach Mike Hesson described as a “follow-on effect.”
“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” added Hesson, a New Zealander who was appointed to the Pakistan job in May. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.
“That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”
With AP Inputs
