Pakistan Cricket Board raises objection to Suryakumar’s post-match statement; match referee Andy Pycroft apologizes

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held a press conference to address the “no-handshake” controversy during the India-vs-Pakistan Asia Cup match and objections over remarks made by Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sep 17 said that the board had serious objections to the conduct of match referee Andy Pycroft and demanded an inquiry.

He stated that they believed there was a code violation during the match and had requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to investigate. He noted that discussions had been held with the coach, captain, and manager about the incident.

Najam Sethi, a former PCB chairman, said that Pycroft had apologized. Sethi reiterated that PCB’s goal was to keep politics out of sport, and that the board believes that “cricket should be separate from all this.”

Rameez Raja, former Pakistan captain, said the biggest issue was what Suryakumar Yadav said during the post-match presentation. He described that statement as the critical point. Raja added that having an apology from Pycroft was important so that cricket could continue without emotional fallout.

Mohsin Naqvi said the possibility of Pakistan boycotting the tournament had been considered. He added that the decision to potentially withdraw from the Asia Cup involved high-level stakeholders including the Prime Minister’s office and government officials.

During the press conference, Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that politics and sports should be kept separate. He criticized the inclusion of political issues in the cricket dispute and called for such controversies to be avoided in future.