During the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side refrained from shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts as the games were played amidst heightened tensions between two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
The arch-rivals faced each other thrice in the continental event and India emerged victorious on all occasions, including the title clash. In all three meetings, the Men in Blue refused to shake hands and exchange post-match pleasantries with the Pakistan players, who also engaged in provocative gestures.
After winning the final, the Indian team refused to collect the trophy and medal from the ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who posted anti-India sentiments on social media throughout the tournament.
Furious with India’s stand, Naqvi took the silverware and medals in his custody. After BCCI’s protest, the PCB boss said that if India wants the trophy and medals, a member of their team can collect them from his ACC office in Dubai.
Reacting to the recent turn of events, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has urged the ICC to step up and put an end to ‘politics’ in cricket.
Akram also touched upon the old topic, hoping to see Pakistani cricketers' participation in the IPL and vice versa, insisting that 'every player from every country' should be picked in T20 leagues.
"I’m sorry. But what I don’t like in cricket is politics. Straightforward. Sports should be kept away from politics. In league cricket, pick every player from every nation. Be brave. Be bigger. But that's not happening, unfortunately. And I think that's where the ICC comes in. That's where cricket boards come in. It doesn’t matter who owns the league. It doesn’t matter who owns the teams. Every player from every nation should be picked," Akram said in an interview with Wisden Cricket.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan cricketers weren't always barred from the IPL. In fact, a number of their stars appeared in the inaugural edition, including Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif among others. In fact, Sohail Tanvir was the leading wicket-taker of the 2008 season with 22 scalps to his name. However, after the Mumbai terror attack later in that year, the BCCI closed the door for Pakistan cricketers and they have yet to play the IPL since.
Pakistan's terror activities also impacted India-Pakistan bilateral cricket ties. The bitter rivals haven't played bilateral cricket since the 2012 white-ball series, with their last meeting in Tests dating back to 2007. In this period, they've only clashed in multi-nation tournaments such as the World Cup and the Asia Cup.
