Dubai, Sep 15 (IANS) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has demanded an immediate removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup roster following India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players following their match in Dubai on Sunday.

In addition to the statement released by the PCB, Naqvi’s, who himself heads the continental cricket body, request to remove the match referee from the tournament comes as a surprise because the previous commune from the board doesn’t contain this request.

Taking to X, Naqvi wrote, “The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup.”

The PCB chairman had taken to social media to express his disappointment after the end of the game.

“Utterly disappointed by the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace,” Naqvi wrote after the end of the match.

Pakistan’s response came after the match which India won by seven wickets in Dubai. Following the win, Indian players out in the middle – captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube – walked back to their dressing room without the customary handshake with Pakistani players. The gesture left the Pakistan team in surprise and even their captain Salman Agha skipped the TV interview to mark his protest.

“Team manager Naveed Cheema lodged a strong protest against Indian players’ behaviour of not shaking hands. It was deemed as unsporting and against the sport of the game. As a protest, we did not send our captain to the post-match ceremony,” read a PCB statement.

India’s stand remained the same throughout the match, with Suryakumar skipping the handshake with Salman after the toss. However, PCB said that it was communicated by the match referee to Salman before the toss.

“The match referee Andy Pycroft had asked captain Salman Ali Agha, at the time of the toss, not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart. The Pakistan team management has lodged a protest, calling the behaviour against the spirit of sports,” PCB said in a statement.

However, Suryakumar Yadav gave a fitting response to the arch-rivals and dedicated the win to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22. In the aftermath of it, India launched Operation Sindoor to kill the terrorists involved in the brutal killings of Indian nationals.

“We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in ‘Operation Sindoor’ and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack,” said Suryakumar after the win.

–IANS

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