Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 15: In light of India’s refusal to exchange customary handshakes with Pakistan players before or after Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sunday evening, Pakistan have threatened to boycott their Asia Cup 2025 match against UAE if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the ongoing tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called for the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the remainder of the continental tournament. After the game against India, the PCB had said in a statement that the “match referee had asked the captains not to shake hands at the time of the toss.”
Pakistan were left fuming after India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha after the toss in their Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday. Following their 7-wicket win also, Indian cricketers did not shake hands with any of the Pakistan players. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first lodged a complaint against Team India to the match referee and now, they have demanded the match referee’s removal for allegedly not acting on the PCB’s protest in the entire incident.
According to media reports, the PCB has threatened not to play the match against UAE on Tuesday if Pycroft is not removed. The Zimbabwean is the designated match referee for that game as well. The PCB reportedly mentioned their demands in their letter to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
As soon as India captain Suryakumar Yadav smashed a six to wrap up victory, he and Shivam Dube began walking back in the direction of the dressing room. Neither did they nor did any other member of the Indian contingent acknowledge the Pakistan players and support staff. In response to India’s snub, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha chose to not appear for the post-match presentation.
On Monday, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council that governs the tournament, said in a post on X: 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 an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup.”
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson said after the defeat: “We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game. We are disappointed that the opposition did not do that. We sort of went over there to shake hands and they had already gone into the changing room. It was a disappointing way for the match to finish.”
Suryakumar had said on Sunday that the players were aligned with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government in their stance. “We took a call. We came here just to play the game. That’s the end. We gave a proper reply. I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsperson’s spirit also,” he stated.
Amidst escalating tension, the BCCI said the Indian team had no obligation beyond playing the game. “The BCCI has full knowledge of whatever the team does. There is complete backing. The cricketers played the game in a professional way. Beyond that, there is no other compulsion. Nowhere does it say anything beyond that,” a BCCI source said.
Sunday’s India – Pakistan match provided the answer to a question as to what happens when one of the world’s most politically charged and intense sporting contests is played under the cloud of lingering hostility. The seven wicket win for India ended on a hard-edged note as their players refused the customary handshake with their counterparts from Pakistan after a collective decision endorsed by an important member of the support staff and okayed by the BCCI.
The refusal was not a spur-of-the-moment call. The match was played despite calls for a boycott amid heightened geopolitical tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the ensuing ‘Operation Sindoor’ by India on terrorist bases across the border in May.
As many as 26 Indian tourists lost their lives in the dastardly terrorist attack in the picturesque valley, and under the circumstances, engaging in handshakes with players from Pakistan was deemed a step too far by the Indian camp. Once skipper Suryakumar Yadav sealed the contest with a six, he turned towards the dugout and started walking without even glancing at the opposition players.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha queued up with his teammates for the customary handshake and even walked halfway towards the Indian dugout, but no players from the opposite side responded. “We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in ‘Operation Sindoor’ and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack,” said Suryakumar.
The move had its echo on the other side too, for Pakistan skipper Salman boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony with their coach Mike Hesson admitting that the bitterness had spilled over. “We wanted to shake hands but disappointed that the opposition didn’t do that. Disappointed with the way we played, but we wanted to shake hands,” Hesson said.
“Salman not coming for the post-match presentation was cause and effect after what happened,” he added. Earlier in the evening, Suryakumar and Salman did not engage in the customary handshake during the toss for their Group A contest and also refused to make any eye contact, drawing the attention of the cricket fraternity.
Both the captains submitted their respective team sheets to the match referee Andy Pycroft from Zimbabwe, spoke with the TV commentator Ravi Shastri, who was conducting the toss, and headed back in their respective directions. It is understood that the Indian team’s call about the pre and post-match formalities were discussed much before the ball started rolling.
The ACC sources said the match referee forgot to tell the Pakistan players of the ‘no handshake’ protocol at the end of the match. He even apologised to the Pakistan team for this mistake. “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. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace.”