PCB Logo. (Image Credit: ANI)
ICC has given a formal warning to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding a violation of protocol in the form of a video recording in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) before the Pakistan cricket team matches the UAE in the Asia Cup 2025 in Pakistan. The recorded meeting consisted of some of the crucial participants the match referee Andy Pycroft, captain Salman Ali Agha, coach Mike Hesson, manager Naveed Akram Cheema and media manager Naeem Gillani.
The ICC claims that recording a meeting with a mobile phone in PMOA is against the set protocols. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta in a strongly worded email informed the PCB that it was not allowed to film in that restricted area. In the first instance, Gillani was blocked by the authorities when he tried to tape the conversation. They finally agreed, after talking a little, to compromise, and they would have no audio, but would record it. Gupta also expressed the issue of several breaches of PMOA regulations and defined the incident as misconduct. He refuted suggestions by PCB that the match referee had been apologetic about the situation and said that he was merely remorseful that there had been a miscommunication.
The context behind these happenings would be previous tension between the two teams. The India vs Pakistan match had seen a row of hand shake after which can be attributed to Indian players declining to shake hands over the Pahalgam terror attack. Due to that fight, the PCB threatened to boycott the UAE match unless Pycroft was ousted. When it failed to do so, Pakistan insisted that their media manager should be permitted to be in the meeting prior to the match with UAE. The ICC is currently thinking about disciplinary measures on the PCB. This may be in the form of a monetary fine, formal charges of misconduct or other sanctions according to the provision of the Asia cup rules. The incident has brought to the fore the question of media access, protocol enforcement in marquee tournaments.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: ‘Stay Away From Drama Zone’ Kapil Dev On India vs Pakistan Match Controversy
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