Mohsin Naqvi reinstates PCB official who was suspended after handshake controversy during India vs Pakistan match: Report

The Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board has reinstated Usman Wahla in the role of Director International after suspending him from the role in the aftermath of the ‘handshake row’ with India during last month’s Asia Cup in the UAE.

Wahla had faced the brunt of the PCB’s ire after the dramatic Group A fixture between the arch-rivals on 14 September, in which India captain Suryakumar Yadav had ignored Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha during the toss and the Men in Blue refused to shake the hands of their opponents after their seven-wicket victory in Dubai.

PCB chairman Naqvi, who had courted plenty of drama himself during the Asia Cup especially in the final, had felt that Wahla had mishandled the situation following the handshake drama in the match against India .

The Pakistan team, after all, had boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony in protest against India’s “no-handshake” policy, with captain Salman refusing to speak to the presenter and later skipping the post-match press conference . Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, however, was sent to the present to collect the “Most Sixes Award”, reportedly on the insistence of Wahla and team manager Naveed Akram Cheema.

The PCB also felt that the complaint that was registered with match referee Andy Pycroft after the match did not make mention of India’s stance that they felt was in violation of the spirit of the game. According to Cricket Pakistan, the PCB accused Wahla of mishandling the situation and subsequently suspended him from the role.

Reinstated PCB official attends board meeting ahead of South Africa series

Wahla, however, appears to be in PCB’s good books again as he has been reinstated in the role ahead of South Africa’s tour of Pakistan – which comprises two Tests as well as three T20Is and as many ODIs and gets underway on Sunday, 12 October.

The report adds that Wahla even attended a board meeting for the upcoming series against the Proteas, in which the PCB is reportedly considering hiring Cheema’s replacement as team manager.

India, meanwhile, had maintained their “no-handshake” policy in each of their three meetings against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, and had emerged victors on each occasion.

After their seven-wicket victory in the group stage, India had chased down a target of 172 set by the Men in Green in their Super 4s clash, a match that saw opener Sahibzada Farhan and pacer Haris Rauf make headlines for their controversial gestures and celebrations.

Tilak Varma would then emerge the hero in the final with an unbeaten 69 , helping the Men in Blue recover from 20/3 and chase down a target of 147 with five wickets and two deliveries to spare. And after the final, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy and winners’ medals from Naqvi, who also happens to be the current president of the Asian Cricket Council.

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Naqvi, who had made headlines for a controversial social media post ahead of the final, had reportedly taken the trophy with him to his hotel and has since been stalling the BCCI in their efforts to reclaim possession of the silverware that rightfully belongs to them.