Asia Cup 2025: The handshake row gets bigger and bigger. In the aftermath of the Indian team refusing to shake the Pakistan team’s hands after beating them by 7 wickets in Dubai, a lot has happened.
Handshake gate at Asia Cup
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson had stated that he was disappointed and revealed that the reason behind Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not coming for the post-match interview was Team India’s lack of sportsmanship.
In the morning, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged an official complaint with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) regarding India’s conduct. But it didn’t just stop there. Mohsin Naqvi, who’s the current PCB Chairman and ACC President, also joined the criticism bandwagon.
“Utterly disappointed by the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace,” Naqvi wrote on X.
But wait, that isn’t all either. Naqvi has now threatened to pull Pakistan out of the UAE game on September 17 if the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t remove Andy Pycroft, who was the match referee for the India vs Pakistan match, from the Asia Cup’s panel of officials. The PCB Chairman claims that Pycroft sided with India and asked Pakistan not to shake hands with them.
Team India to boycott Pakistan
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t responded to any of PCB’s claims. But according to PTI, they have told their players to boycott Pakistan going forward. Team India won’t shake hands with Pakistan if they play against each other in the Super Four stage either.
But this will go even further if India qualifies for the Asia Cup final on September 28. Naqvi will be the one who presents the winners with the trophy. Since he’ll be on the presentation dais as ACC’s president, Team India won’t share the stage with them.
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