Pakistan Calls Off Boycott Threat, Pulls Back Complaint. (Image Credit: ANI)
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has backed away from its earlier decision to boycott the Asia Cup 2025 regardless of the building of tensions due to the behaviour of match referee Andy Pycroft in the match between Pakistan and India at Dubai.
The scandal is based on the claim of PCB that both captains, Salman Agha of Pakistan and Suryakumar Yadav of India, were instructed by their captains to shake hands during the toss which was against the long established cricketing custom. PCB personally lodged a complaint with the international cricket council (ICC), arguing that pycroft had violated the ICC Code of Conduct and regulations of Spirit of Cricket.
On Monday, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi who is also the president of ACC addressed the ICC general manager Wasim Khan to remove Pycroft immediately from the tournament. However, the PCB has not officially withdrawn as of now despite the serious accusations and good rhetoric even to the extent of pulling out of the Asia Cup. It is reported that ICC will not concede to the PCB’s demand of PCB of expelling Pycroft. In the meantime, as speculation spreads in the media and on the social media over a potential boycott, the PCB has made it clear that their involvement is intact. The situation with a match against the UAE on Wednesday is critical to the further development of Pakistan to the Super Four stage, which can possibly arrange another confrontation with India.
The instructions to avoid handshaking have received criticism. The players and the staff of India are accused of taking the advice of the government to do so and not shake hands after the match. The captain of Pakistan did not even attend the post match presentation, whereas the head coach of that team, Mike Hesson, called the circumstances disappointing. Despite PCB complaining and threatening to take action against what it perceived to be wrongdoing on the part of one of the match officials, it seems that the board has ruled out the option of going to the withdrawal stage. The question remains unanswered, especially concerning the reaction of ICC and there is still a lot of tension.
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