Asia Cup 2025: Surprising twist in ‘No-Handshake’ controversy which might backfire against Pakistan

The ongoing controversy surrounding the India vs Pakistan “no-handshake” at the Asia Cup 2025 has taken a surprising turn with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanding strict action. The Pakistani team was left out in the open waiting while the Indian batters Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube directly went towards the changing room and shut the door. The left Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his squad awkwardly waiting near the Indian area for a handshake that never came. Even during the toss, both the captains didn’t shake hands and went their own way.

The PCB also called for immediate removal of Andy Pycroft accusing him to be a part of the incident during Sunday’s match. PCB also lodged a complaint with the ICC and threatened to pull out from the Asia Cup 2025. According to a report by Times of India, Andy Pycroft acted as per the given instructions which came from ACC. Raising further questions about internal communication as the ACC is chaired by Mohsin Naqvi. 

“What has ICC got to do with it? Their role ends when the officials are appointed. Someone from the ACC had a chat with Pycroft before the game, and what happened at the toss was a result of that chat. It’s about time the PCB chief finds out what that chat was, who did it, and why-instead of pointing fingers at the ICC to further fuel the fire,” 

“All this talk and posting on social media is good for the optics and narrative back home, but it makes very little sense. If they had a problem with India not shaking hands, even that’s not mandatory,” the report further claimed.