PCB demands removal of match referee from Asia Cup over handshake row

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding “violations by the match referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket”.

The national cricket board has demanded an immediate removal of the match referee from the remainder of the regional T20 tournament, said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

“There is nothing more important to me than the honor and prestige of my country,” he wrote in a post on X.

Match referee for the high-voltage Pakistan-India clash on Sunday was Andy Pycroft, who reportedly asked Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav at the time of the toss.

Pakistan blamed the India side and also alleged match referee Pycroft told captain Salman not to shake the hand of the India skipper before the game, AFP reported. There was no handshake between the captains.

‘Cheap theatrics won’t heal war wounds’: Pakistan lambasts Indian cricketers for politicising sports

In his post-match press conference, Suryakumar said his team acted on the advice of the Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“We are aligned with the Indian government and the BCCI,” said Suryakumar when asked why his team did not shake hands with the Pakistan players.

The statement came after India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup as the neighbours met on the cricket pitch for the first time since a military conflict between them in May.

The cross-border hostilities earlier this year left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery exchanges, before a ceasefire.

The conflict was triggered after an April 22 attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing, a charge Islamabad denies.

“Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today,” said the PCB chief. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports, he added, hoping that future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace.

As a protest against the Men in Blue’s unsportsmanlike behaviour, Pakistan also did not send their captain Agha to post-match duties.

The two teams are likely to meet again in a Super Four match in Dubai on Sunday, provided Pakistan win their last group game against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

They can also meet for a third time in the September 28 final in Dubai if results go their way.