 "The Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board has been accused of committing violations by recording and sharing a muted clip of their meeting with ICC match referee Andy Pycroft. Image credit: Screengrab/AFP")
In the latest twist to the India-Pakistan handshake saga at the Asia Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly is not backing down in its ongoing feud with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and isn’t shying away from escalating things to another level.
The ICC had written a mail to the PCB in which the latter was accused of committing serious violations over recording a meeting involving match referee Andy Pycroft in Dubai and sharing the clip with media houses, claiming they had received an apology on the handshake saga.
PCB refuses to to relent against ICC
According to RevSportz, the Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB has upped the ante in their battle against the ICC by questioning why the matter was not raised with the Anti-Corruption Unit at the venue itself after the meeting with Zimbabwean match referee Pycroft.
They have also questioned the ICC as to why they were allowed to record the meeting at the venue, only for the governing body for the sport to raise an objection and threaten them with “stern action” later.
PCB’s response indicates that the matter isn’t likely to die down anytime soon, and could potentially escalate even further when India and Pakistan meet again in the Super 4s on Sunday.
Pycroft never ‘apologised’
The report also claims that Pycroft had never used the word “apology” during his meeting with the Pakistan team management; rather he explained why he stopped Salman from extending his hand towards his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav during toss.
Pycroft reportedly claimed it was to avoid an embarrassing situation, having been already informed of Surya’s cold shoulder towards the Pakistan during the match in advance.
Pycroft was in charge of the India-Pakistan match in Dubai last Sunday in which the Men in Blue had refused to shake the hands of their opponents due to the recent Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAfter their unsuccessful attempt at getting Pycroft removed for the remainder of the tournament along with Pakistan’s near-boycott of their final Group A match against UAE, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema decided to sit down with the match referee at the venue’s PMOA area.
Some PCB officials who were present inside the room later started recording the meeting. And while they initially refused to divulge their plans for the record, a clip with muted audio was later shared with the press and later went viral on social media, in which the board claimed that Pycroft had apologised for “miscommunication” over the handshake saga.