The arch-rivals are set to lock horns again on September 21.
India vs Pakistan is one of the most fiercest rivalries in cricket. The two sides lock horns only in multi-team tournaments, after political tensions put a full-stop on the bilateral series they used to play. Having said that, the hype for any India vs Pakistan match is always over the roof.
In the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, the case was slightly different. A few weeks before their first clash in the tournament, there were doubts whether the Men in Blue would participate. However, a clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) meant that the match was on.
India clinched a comfortable victory against their neighbours in the group stage. They skittled Pakistan out for a mere 127, after Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exploits with the bat. However, it is not the cricket from that fixture which will be remembered for a long time. Something that we are referring to as the ‘handshake saga’ has outplayed the bat and ball which were used in the India vs Pakistan game in Dubai.
Surprisingly enough, the drama wasn’t limited to just that fixture. Almost a week after the blockbuster game between the two arch-rivals, the tensions cease to de-escalate. Each day springs a new challenge in front of the cricketing bodies involved in the matter, and the saga continues.
Here is a timeline on the events of the ‘handshake saga’, which has snowballed after originating from the events at the toss in the India vs Pakistan group stage fixture on September 14.
The drama started unfolding at toss time when Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha. Though it is not a rule, captains generally shake hands as a matter of acknowledgement after the toss. Suryakumar Yadav just took the backstage and showed no interest in shaking hands.
To add to that, the Indian team did not come out for the after-match handshakes either. Suryakumar Yadav scored the winning runs in style. Immediately, the Indian skipper and Shivam Dube walked towards the pavilion. The Indian players went inside the dressing room, and closed the doors, making their intentions very clear. The Shaheens were left disgusted on the field, seeing the actions of their opponents.
The Pakistanis were not going to sit still either, after what had transpired. Skipper Salman Agha did not turn up for the post-match presentation in protest. Moreover, head coach Mike Hesson gave a statement accusing the Men in Blue of unsporting behaviour after the game.
That was clearly not it! The Men in Green were agitated, and they made it clear. On September 15, their manager, Naveed Cheema, lodged a formal complaint with the ICC. The complaint was against match referee Andy Pycroft, who communicated the decision from the Indians to the Pakistan skipper.
As per reports, the Indians made it clear to Pycroft before the toss, that they would not be shaking hands with the Pakistan players. Furthermore, Pycroft made Salman Agha aware about the intentions of the Indian team. And this is where the Men in Green got riled up. The complaint from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to the ICC stated that Pycroft was biased towards the Indians and allowed fell to their demands.
The Pakistan officials demanded that Pycroft be removed from the tournament, because of his actions favouring India. The Shaheens quoted the match referee’s actions against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s demands were rejected by the ICC. As per the ICC, changing a match referee on the basis of a particular team’s request would be a dangerous thing to do. And hence, it was clear that Pycroft would be the match referee for Pakistan’s next fixture against the hosts.
Going a step ahead, Pakistan threatened to boycott their game against United Arab Emirates (UAE) if any action was not taken against Pycroft. In the lead up to that action, they also cancelled their pre-match press conference. Instead, they sent another letter to the ICC, re-stating their demands.
On the day of their fixture against hosts UAE, the Pakistan team delayed their departure from the hotel. As a result, the match was delayed by an hour, and started at 7:30pm local time instead of the scheduled time of 6:30pm. Some communication between the PCB and ICC was being linked via back channels.
As per a few reports, the Men in Green would have had to pay a hefty sum of $16 million, had they boycotted the fixture. Pakistan won the game against the UAE, but some action was yet to follow. The same evening after the match, the PCB released a muted video of a conversation between Pycroft and some of the PCB officials, stating that the match referee had apologized for his actions.
Later in the day, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi interacted with the media. They further escalated the matter, attacking Pycroft and voicing their opinions of the match referee’s bias against Pakistan.
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In the latest development, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has mailed the PCB regarding the prohibited use of mobile phones and other devices in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA). The video which the PCB released showing the communication between Pycroft and their officials was reportedly shot in the PMOA.
As per the rules and regulations, conversations in that area of the stadium cannot be made public, with or without the audio. The PCB is yet to revert on the matter.
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