PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday that the Pakistan Cricket Board has filed a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against the match referee of the Pakistan-India Asia Cup game, accusing him of breaching rules related to the “Spirit of Cricket.”
“The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket,” Naqvi posted on X, referring to referee Andy Pycroft.
“The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the match referee from the Asia Cup,” he added.
The Asia Cup clash between Pakistan and India was held on Sunday in Dubai, where India secured a seven-wicket victory thanks to a strong bowling performance led by spinner Kuldeep Yadav. It was the first meeting between the two rivals since their military conflict in May.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav sealed the win with a six, sparking celebrations among Indian fans in a stadium that notably had many empty seats. After the match, players from both sides left the field without the customary handshakes.
When asked about the gesture in the post-match press conference, Suryakumar explained that the decision not to shake hands was in line with the stance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian government.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, he added that India had approached the encounter as “just another game” and dedicated the victory to the country’s armed forces.
“We stand with the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and express our solidarity,” Suryakumar said. “Today’s win is for the Indian army.”
The April 22 attack on civilians in Pahalgam, in Indian-occupied Kashmir, led to renewed Pakistan-India hostilities in May. New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the assault without providing evidence — a claim Islamabad firmly rejects.
After Sunday’s Asia Cup match, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed to Dawn.com that team manager Naveed Akram Cheema had “registered a protest against the match referee’s behaviour.”
“It was against the spirit of sportsmanship that the Indian team refused to shake hands,” the PCB quoted Cheema as saying, alleging that “the match referee had even instructed the captains not to shake hands at the toss.”
As a form of protest, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match ceremony. Coach Mike Hesson explained that Salman’s absence reflected the team’s disappointment over India’s conduct.
“It was a follow-on effect,” Hesson said. “We were keen to engage and shake hands at the end of the match, but that obviously didn’t happen.” Commenting on the controversy, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X earlier today: “Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports.”
India had resisted calls to boycott the match between the nations, with its cricket board stating it could not boycott an international event and that such a move would “bring a lot of negativity for all our future endeavours of hosting any multinational tournament”.
