Fresh twist in Asia Cup handshake row: BCCI informed Andy Pycroft about India's snub 'four minutes' before toss

Fresh twist in IND-PAK Asia Cup handshake row (AP Photo)

A fresh development has emerged in the Asia Cup 2025 controversy involving match referee Andy Pycroft. As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, Pycroft was informed about the "no handshake" act between Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha and his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav barely "four minutes" prior to the toss. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) venue manager told Pycroft to deliver the "no handshake" message to the two skippers just before the coin flip.

The BCCI informed the ACC venue manager that "there will be no handshake between captains Suryakumar and Salman" after acquiring the necessary consent from the Indian government. Pycroft should have told the ICC about the "no-handshake" regulation, but according to PCB the Zimbabwean didn't have enough time.

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The ICC would have been informed if the match referee had more time, but time restrictions prevented that from happening. Therefore, Pycroft made the decision to let Salman know that he was not allowed to shake hands in order to spare him the humiliation of approaching Suryakumar with the traditional act.

Following the embarrassment, Pakistan lodged a protest and demanded the ouster of Pycroft from Asia Cup 2025. The ICC, however, declined Pakistan's request, which saw the controversy stretch, leading to chaos before Pakistan's must-win group stage tie against UAE. The match, which Pakistan won by 41 runs, saw a delay of an hour from its scheduled start.

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The action started after a hasty meeting between Pycroft and the leadership group of Pakistan cricket. PCB also released an official statement confirming Pycroft "apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team". However, reports citing sources familiar with the situation stated it was an "expression of regret over the misunderstanding and miscommunication" around the incident, rather than an apology.

In order to assert that Pycroft did apologise, PCB also released a short video of the meeting but without an audio.

India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet again in the Super Four encounter at the Dubai International Stadium this Sunday.