Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi has shared insights into the meeting organized by the Pakistan board on September 17 ahead of the Pakistan versus UAE Asia Cup 2025 fixture, when the 'Men in Green' looked like pulling out of the continental event.

The controversy started on September 14 after India skipper Suryakumar Yadav refrained from shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha, and the PCB failed a complaint with the ICC about match referee breaching the protocols pertaining to 'Spirit of the Game' and wanted him to be sacked from the tournament or from Pakistan's matches.

The ICC rejected PCB's claims and also backed its elite panel match referee, citing that he was merely passing on the message of the ACC venue manager.

Speculations were rife about Pakistan’s withdrawal before the PCB relented and their match against UAE got off to a delayed start.

Now, Sethi, who was part of the decision-making process, has spilled beans on what actually happened inside the PCB corridors in Lahore.

“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,” said Sethi on Samaa TV.

“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 much drama on Wednesday, Pakistan showed up for the UAE clash, but not before causing a delay and claiming that it had received an "apology" from Pycroft, who was retained by the ICC as match referee.

Meanwhile, the world body has taken exception to a PCB release that claimed Pycroft had “apologised”, when in fact he had merely expressed regret over a miscommunication caused by the ACC venue manager.

The PCB had accused Pycroft of prohibiting Salman Agha from shaking hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav at the toss last Sunday.