New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has come down heavily on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its conduct during the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. The row began when India, led by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, skipped the customary handshake with Pakistan players after their group-stage clash. The move triggered an official complaint from the PCB to the International Cricket Council (ICC), which sought the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft.
PCB’s complaint and ICC’s response
The PCB, in its complaint, alleged that Pycroft had failed to uphold the “spirit of cricket” by not ensuring handshakes. However, the ICC rejected the request, noting that handshakes are not mandated under cricket’s laws. Despite this, the PCB escalated matters further, even threatening to boycott their must-win Super 4 game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The match was delayed by nearly an hour before eventually going ahead.
Gavaskar’s criticism
Writing in his Sportstar column, Gavaskar said he failed to understand the PCB’s demand, pointing out that there is no rule requiring handshakes after matches.
“The PCB complaining about it was hard to understand, as there is nothing in the rule books that says handshakes are mandatory… The ICC quite rightly ignored the protest, if indeed there was one made as per media reports,” Gavaskar noted.
He also questioned why Pakistan skipped the mandatory pre-match press conference. “They did not have to send the captain, players or the coach. Anyone among the large support staff could have met the media. That did not happen, and it will be interesting to see if any action is taken,” he added.
Delay in UAE game
Gavaskar was particularly critical of Pakistan’s decision to delay the start of their clash against the UAE by an hour. He described it as holding the game “to ransom.”
“If the PCB had any issues to discuss with and about the match referee Andy Pycroft, then it had two full days after their loss to India and before the game against the UAE in which to do so,” Gavaskar wrote. “By keeping everybody in suspense and not even turning up at the ground until almost the toss time, they held the game to ransom.”
He further said there was “no excuse” for delaying the match in pursuit of an apology from the referee. The PCB later claimed that Pycroft had apologised, interpreting the phrase “regrettable miscommunication” as an admission—something the ICC flatly denied.
Conclusion
With the Asia Cup still underway, the episode has added further strain to the already tense India–Pakistan cricket rivalry. While the PCB insists it was standing up for the spirit of the game, voices like Gavaskar argue its actions only undermined the tournament.