The high-octane IND vs PAK match last night (September 14) in the Asia Cup 2025 ended with sheer drama after the Indian players denied doing the customary handshake with the opposition following their seven-wicket win. During the coin toss too, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha.
To give some context behind it, there was already a lot of criticism with the game happening due to the strained bilateral political relations that saw a war happen between the nations earlier this year in May. It also saw the venue of the continental tournament getting shifted to the UAE despite India being the official host.
Thus after the game, when the Men in Blue did not come out of the dugout to do the post-match formalities, Pakistan replied by not sending their skipper for the post-match presentation.
It was later also understood that match referee Andy Pycroft had asked Salman not to shake hands with Suryakumar.
This did not go down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), with their chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) chief, demanding the removal of Pycroft in an official post on his handle on X (formerly Twitter).
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Notably, Pakistan is all set to lock horns against UAE in a potential knockout match with the winner set to qualify alongside India for the Super Four stage. Interestingly, Pycroft is the designated match-referee for the game. However, PCB had reportedly stated that they will pull out of the tournament if their wishes are not granted.
Now, there has been a new twist to the developments with ICC issuing their stance on the matter. The apex cricket council has clarified that the Zimbabwean umpire will not be replaced and he will continue in his role, according to a Cricbuzz report.
It remains to be seen what the Men in Green decide next. In case they decide to forfeit the game, UAE will go through to the next round since both teams have won a solitary game so far and currently have two points.
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