‘Makes you look weak’: Harsha Bhogle slams PCB for staying in Asia Cup over $16m fee

‘Makes you look weak’: Harsha Bhogle slams PCB for staying in Asia Cup over $16m fee (Photo- X and AP )

After repeatedly threatening to withdraw, Pakistan cricket Team was "forced" to play against the United Arab Emirates in a pivotal Asia Cup match on Wednesday. Even as the International Cricket Council disregarded repeated calls for match referee Andy Pycroft to be fired, the PCB asserted that it had received a "apology" from him.

Former players from both nations and cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle have also criticized the embarrassing situation. “The lesson for all of us is that you must never issue an ultimatum you cannot enforce. It makes you look weak,” Bhogle wrote on X without naming any of the parties.

The lesson for all of us is that you must never issue an ultimatum you cannot enforce. It makes you look weak.

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— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 17, 2025

The PCB's withdrawal from the tournament might have cost them up to USD 16 million. Before deciding that the squad will continue, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB and head of the Asian Cricket Council, reportedly sought counsel from two previous PCB chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi.

Over the weekend, controversy erupted as Team India defeated Pakistan handily but declined to shake hands with the players. Pycroft was directly blamed by the Pakistani Cricket Board, which maintained that he had "acted at the behest of BCCI."

Pakistan filed two separate complaints with the ICC seeking Andy Pycroft’s removal, but both were promptly dismissed. The standoff eased only after Pycroft reportedly “apologised” to the team manager and captain for blocking the handshake at the toss on Sunday, later clarifying it as a “miscommunication” during the India clash.

Additionally, the Pakistan Cricket Board declared that its complaint against the 69-year-old Pycroft would be looked into by the ICC. “The ICC has expressed its readiness to investigate the violation of the Code of Conduct during the match on September 14,” the PCB stated.

An ICC source responded that the apology was solely for the "miscommunication and the ICC will only conduct its investigation when the PCB furnishes further evidence as to who was at fault for this entire mess."

The contentious match, which provoked significant protests and demands for a boycott, saw the Men In Blue eke out a decisive seven-wicket victory. After the game, Team India refused to shake hands with the opposing team, demonstrating how political tensions also permeated the cricket field. Salman Ali Agha, the captain of Pakistan, protested by skipping the post-match presentation ceremony.

The decision to forego handshakes with the cross-border adversaries, according to Indian Team captain Suryakumar Yadav, is a show of support for the victims of the terror assault in Pahalgam, which was sponsored by Pakistan, and the Indian Armed Forces, which responded by conducting Operation Sindoor.

Pakistan, meanwhile, denounced the action as "unsporting" and accused Pycroft of being political. Following the charges, the PCB formally demanded Pycroft's removal and threatened to pull out, but the plea was denied.