The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged a formal complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC), demanding the immediate removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup, accusing him of violating the ICC Code of Conduct and the spirit of cricket during Sunday's Group A clash between India and Pakistan. The 69-year-old former Zimbabwe cricketer officiated the match, which India won by seven wickets, but controversy erupted over the absence of customary handshakes between the teams. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) overseeing the tournament, announced the demand on X, stating the board had raised the issue with the ICC despite its non-involvement in the event.

Tensions began at the coin toss when Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha skipped the traditional handshake, simply submitting team sheets to Pycroft before speaking with commentator Ravi Shastri and returning to their dressing rooms. The PCB alleges Pycroft instructed the captains to forgo the ritual, a convention though not a formal rule in international cricket. Post-match, Indian players did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, prompting Pakistan's team manager Naveed Cheema to protest the "unsporting" behaviour. In response, Agha boycotted the presentation ceremony, and Pakistan did not send its captain to the event.

The standoff stems from the May 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where militants killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, in Baisaran Valley—an incident India attributes to Pakistan-backed groups like The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba. India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 7, launching precision strikes on nine alleged terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, escalating into a brief conflict with over 70 casualties before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on May 10. Yadav justified the no-handshake policy as solidarity with victims' families, noting it could recur if the teams meet again in the tournament.

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The episode highlights simmering India-Pakistan rivalry, with the PCB earlier flagging the issue to the ACC. While handshakes symbolise sportsmanship, their absence underscores deeper geopolitical strains. The ICC has yet to respond, but the demand risks further straining bilateral cricket ties amid calls for de-escalation in the high-stakes Asia Cup.

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