Even though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) filed a formal protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the “no-handshake” issue during its last match against India, it is said to have backed down from its threat to pull out of the Asia Cup 2025. ESPNcricinfo says that the PCB’s decision means that they won’t drop out of the competition, no matter what the ICC decides about their appeal.
The fight started when Pakistan lost against India by seven wickets in Dubai on Sunday. The PCB says that Andy Pycroft, the match referee chosen by the ICC, told the captains of both teams not to shake hands before the toss, which is a big change from precedent. The PCB says that Pycroft, who used to play for Zimbabwe, talked to both Pakistan captain Salman Agha and India captain Suryakumar Yadav separately and gave them the identical order.
The board accused Pycroft of breaking the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws on the “Spirit of Cricket” in a written complaint that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi later verified on X (previously Twitter). Naqvi’s post said, “The PCB has asked for the Match Referee to be taken out of the Asia Cup right away.” A letter to ICC general manager Wasim Khan made the complaint official by describing the event in full.
Things got worse after the game when Indian players and officials didn’t shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts. Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, said that the decision was made with “guidance from the Indian government and the BCCI.” The PCB’s complaint further says that they were told that the BCCI and the Indian government had a say in the order.
The Pakistani camp reacted strongly to the snub after the game. Head coach Mike Hesson said the move was “disappointing,” and Captain Salman Agha is said to have boycotted the post-match ceremony in protest.
Pycroft is one of the two match referees for the tournament and is still set to officiate two more group matches, including Pakistan’s important encounter against the UAE. Reports say that the ICC is likely to turn down the PCB’s request to remove Pycroft while it looks at the complaint.
The PCB hasn’t sent out an official withdrawal notification yet, even though there has been a lot of public anger and diplomatic tension. The team is expected to keep playing as planned, and they need to win their match against the UAE on Wednesday to get to the Super Four stage. This might lead to another important match with India on September 21.