The controversy in the India v Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday, September 14, where the two captains, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha, didn’t shake hands at the toss and the Indian team refused to shake hands with Pakistan after the win, has snowballed.

This led to Salman Agha skipping the post-match presentation, and PCB laid the entire blame on match referee Andy Pycroft, accusing him of instructing Pakistan captain Salman Agha to not shake hands with Suryakumar at the toss.

PCB also suspended the Director of Cricket Operations, Usman Walha, after identifying him as a major culprit in the entire fiasco. Usman Walha, reportedly, caused the problem by failing to inform his own captain of the rules and regulations that must be adhered to during the competition.

Infuriated by Walha's humiliation of the national cricket team and its captain, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi ordered his dismissal, particularly if Pakistan were to pull out of the competition.

Well-placed sources claim that Walha had an obligation to advise Salman of the "No Handshake" policy, but he failed to do so, and the Pakistan captain was reportedly taken by surprise by the development.

"Walha should have released a statement at the toss itself when the two captains didn't shake hands. Naqvi apparently was furious, as he handled it poorly," a PCB source said, as per PTI.

The PCB appealed to the ICC that 69-year-old Zimbabwean Pycroft should be removed from the Asia Cup after he advised the Pakistani and Indian captains to forgo handshakes at the toss.

In a letter to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), led by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema stated that team sheets were not exchanged at the toss due to Pycroft's request.

It has been reported that ICC has replaced Andy Pycroft as the match referee for Pakistan’s future games in the Asia Cup 2025, including one against UAE. According to reports, the top board has granted the PCB's request that the ICC designate Richie Richardson as the match referee for its remaining Asia Cup matches.

After the handshake controversy, there had also been rumors that Pakistan was preparing to withdraw from the event, but that just appeared to be a bluff because the PCB couldn't bear to lose up to USD 16 million in tournament revenue from the Asian Cricket Council.

"Can Naqvi risk Pakistan losing around USD 16 million out of a projected budget of USD 227 million for the fiscal year? That will be roughly seven percent of the annual PCB revenue gone," a source close to developments in PCB told PTI.

The official broadcaster may refuse to pay the agreed-upon amount; thus, Naqvi, as the leader of the ACC, will also have to take the brunt of the criticism.

(PTI inputs)