Some intriguing developments surfaced regarding the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on September 17, just before Pakistan’s Asia Cup clash against the UAE. Tensions arose following the September 14 match against India, when several Indian players reportedly avoided post-match handshakes with the Pakistani team. This gesture sparked outrage within the PCB, which even threatened to remove match referee Andy Pycroft and discussed the possibility of a team boycott.

The situation escalated ahead of the Pakistan vs UAE game, as PCB officials instructed their players not to leave the stadium because Pycroft was officiating. There were genuine fears of Pakistan pulling out of the tournament due to the incident. The board’s initial hardline stance created uncertainty and tension among players and officials alike.

Eventually, the PCB decided to step back from the brink, allowing the match to proceed, albeit with a delayed start. While the drama stirred controversy, the game went ahead, highlighting the intense emotions and politics sometimes involved in high-profile cricket tournaments.

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Former PCB Chief’s Remark on the Ongoing Controversy:

Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi, involved in the key decisions at the time, has now shared some revealing insights about the events. His statements shed light on the discussions and deliberations that took place behind the scenes during the tense period leading up to the matches.

He said, “ The decision was already taken. The mood was such that, 'under public pressure, let's boycott. Let the Asia Cup go to hell, let the ICC go to hell.' My attitude has always been that you should stay within legal boundaries and not leave the international arena. When I was called, my friends told me, ‘Don't go, don't support him.' I hadn't gone to support Mr. Mohsin Naqvi. I went to help the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

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Najam Sethi said: Mahsin Naqvi had decided to withdraw from the Asia Cup. My friends told me, 'Don't go, don't help them.' I didn't even go to help Mahsin Naqvi. If what Mahsin Naqvi was doing had happened, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage,…

— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) September 19, 2025

He further said, “ If what he was attempting had succeeded, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage. We could have been sanctioned by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), penalized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), foreign players might have refused to play in the PSL, and we stood to lose $15 million in ACC broadcasting rights. It would have been an existential crisis for PCB.”

After a tense standoff, Pakistan dropped its threat to pull out and took the field for a key Asia Cup clash against the UAE, though the match was delayed. PCB claimed it had received an "apology" from match referee Andy Pycroft, even as the ICC refused to remove him, despite Pakistan’s repeated demands.

The ICC informed PCB chairman and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi, via CEO Sanjog Gupta, that Pycroft would continue as match referee. The board justified his retention, stating he had adhered to all rules and regulations. The incident highlighted the clash between Pakistan’s stance and ICC protocols during the tournament.

Pakistan blamed match referee Andy Pycroft for the controversy after Salman and Suryakumar neither shook hands nor exchanged team sheets during the toss. The PCB claimed Pycroft had instructed Salman against shaking hands and directed both captains not to swap their team sheets, sparking tensions before the match.

Najam Sethi, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, stated that the Indian team’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 would have an effect on future ICC tournaments hosted by the two neighboring nations, as Pakistan is also scheduled to host the Champions Trophy in 2025.

The dispute over the 2023 Asia Cup between India and Pakistan is getting worse even though the tournament is scheduled to start in three months. The Asian Cricket Council hasn’t decided where the high-octane tournament will be held, and BCCI president Jay Shah has already said that India won’t be going to Pakistan for the Asia Cup because of security concerns and political tensions between the two countries.

Najam Sethi told the Indian Express that India can accept the hybrid model if they want to. This model allows both teams to play their ICC games in different countries in the future. Men in Green can play the ODI World Cup games in Bangladesh or other neutral venues in 2023, and India can play the Champions Trophy games in other neutral venues in 2025.

“If India now wants to have a neutral venue and accepts the hybrid model, then we’ll use the same hybrid model in the World Cup. Pakistan can play its World Cup matches in Dhaka or any other venue to which India agrees, and similarly in the Champions Trophy. So all the other countries can come and play in Pakistan but India can play at a neutral venue. So this is a model that goes forward and resolves this political logjam,”

Najam Sethi said.

This year’s Asia Cup will be held in Sri Lanka, according to reports. It will be interesting to see if Pakistan participates if the tournament is moved outside of Pakistan.

We Shall Not Participate In The Asia Cup If The ACC Requires That All Games Be Held At One Location – Najam Sethi Najam Sethi stated that the Asian Cricket Council must approve the hybrid model, that no decision will be made regarding the Asia Cup in 2023, and that Pakistan will not participate in the Asia Cup if it is relocated outside of their country.

“No decision has yet been taken about whether it will be the UAE or Sri Lanka, or it could be a third venue. We don’t know. The first question is, is the hybrid model that we’ve proposed acceptable? Are we going to play by those rules? If the ACC insists that all games are to be held at one venue, we shall not play the Asia Cup,” 

Najam Sethi added.

“We have come to India twice since 2008 to play matches. India has not come to Pakistan. We didn’t object because we thought yes, it’s true that the security situation in Pakistan is a problem.”

he further added.

At this point, every one of the two-sided relations among India and Pakistan are suspended because of political reasons. The rivals do not compete in bilateral series and only compete against one another during ICC events or the Asia Cup. The two teams last played each other in a bilateral series in 2012/13, after which they only met at ICC events.