NEW DELHI: Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has sharply criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over their recent conduct in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, particularly their handling of tensions following India’s decision to skip the customary handshake. The move by the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, drew a complaint from the PCB to the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft. The ICC, however, rejected Pakistan’s request.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gavaskar said he was baffled by the PCB’s demand, pointing out that handshakes are not mandatory in cricket. “The PCB complaining about it was hard to understand, as there is nothing in the rule books that says handshakes are mandatory. There are many previous instances in different sports where opponents who have clashed have not shaken hands after their match has ended. The ICC quite rightly ignored the protest, if indeed there was one made as per media reports,” he wrote in his Sportstar column.

The veteran also questioned the PCB’s decision to skip the mandatory pre-match press conference, calling it a more serious concern. “What needs to be looked at is the avoiding of the mandatory media meet on the eve of the match by the Pakistani contingent. They did not have to send the captain, players, or the coach. Anyone among the large support staff could have met the media. That did not happen, and it will be interesting to see if any action is taken for avoiding what is mandatory,” Gavaskar added.Gavaskar further criticised Pakistan for delaying their must-win game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which started an hour late. “The other thing that left a sour taste in the mouth is holding up the game and starting it one hour late. If the PCB had any issues to discuss with and about the match referee Andy Pycroft, then it had two full days after their loss to India and before the game against the UAE in which to do so. By keeping everybody in suspense and not even turning up at the ground until almost the toss time, they held the game to ransom,” he said.The cricketing legend also dismissed Pakistan’s claim that they had secured an apology from the ICC, calling it misleading. “There is simply no excuse for delaying the start of the game for an hour while haggling to get an apology from the match referee for something that was also not in any of the rule books. Then, despite the ICC… saying there was no apology given, the PCB insisted that they had secured one and so agreed to play. They pounced on the words ‘regrettable miscommunication’ to say that this was the apology,” Gavaskar wrote.