There have been some bombshell revelations inside the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over its quasi-boycott of the Asia Cup 2025. The controversy blew up after the Indian cricket team declined to shake hands with Pakistani players after their September 14 group-stage match, reports NDTV. The no-handshake gesture angered Pakistan, and PCB insisted on the sacking of match referee Andy Pycroft.
Before Pakistan’s decisive Super Four qualifying match against the UAE on September 17, the suspense reached a high. PCB authorities allegedly told players not to exit the grounds, as Pycroft was once more assigned match referee. The match was delayed as PCB considered a complete pullout from the tournament.
Najam Sethi Reveals High-Stakes Meeting
Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi, who was part of the intense deliberations, disclosed the intensity of the debate.
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Najam Sethi said: Mahsin Naqvi had decided to withdraw from the Asia Cup. My friends told me, ‘Don’t go, don’t help them.’ I didn’t even go to help Mahsin Naqvi. If what Mahsin Naqvi was doing had happened, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage,…— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) September 19, 2025
“The mood was such that, in the face of public pressure, there was a call for boycotting,” Sethi said on Samaa TV.
“People were saying, ‘Let Asia Cup go to hell, let ICC go to hell.’ My view has always been that we should remain within legal limits and not isolate ourselves globally.
Sethi made it clear that he attended the meeting not to patronize PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi as an individual but to safeguard Pakistan cricket’s interests.
“If what Naqvi was trying to do had worked, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable harm,” Sethi cautioned.
He further stated that punishments from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) would have followed, overseas players would have boycotted the PSL, and PCB would have lost $15 million in ACC broadcasting rights.
ICC Stands Firm on Pycroft
Following sustained talks, the ICC supported Pycroft, with CEO Sanjog Gupta making a conference call to Naqvi that the Zimbabwean official would remain match referee. The ICC insisted that Pycroft had only obeyed rules and was not at fault personally for the handshake controversy.
In spite of PCB’s allegations that Pycroft prevented captain Salman Ali Agha from shaking hands with India’s Suryakumar Yadav during the toss, the ICC clarified that Pycroft merely communicated instructions from the Asian Cricket Council’s venue manager due to a lack of time prior to the match.
PCB Eventually Relents
Under intense pressure and afraid of an international backlash, PCB withdrew its threat to pull out and agreed to play the match against UAE. The match finally started after a brief delay, with Pakistan alleging that they received some kind of “regret” from Pycroft regarding the misunderstanding.
The episode has again underlined the tempestuous nature of India-Pakistan cricket relationships and the political undertows that usually drown the action on the field. With the Asia Cup 2025 hurtling towards the high-voltage India vs Pakistan Super Four encounter, attention will now be diverted to whether things are getting better or new controversy is fermenting.
