The India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup match on September 14 may be over but the arguments are still on. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is thinking of filing a formal complaint against India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav in the handshake-gate controversy.
Apparently, the PCB is not happy with Suryakumar’s comments after the match where he attributed India’s 7-wicket win to our armed forces who were in Operation Sindoor and sympathized with families affected by the Pahalgam terror attack. The sources say the PCB thinks this was a political statement during a sports event which goes against the spirit of the match.
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The drama peaked on Wednesday in Dubai when the Pakistan team refused to leave their hotel for the must win match against UAE. This was in response to the ICC’s denial of their request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft. After getting approval from the higher ups, the team eventually made it to the ground but the match was delayed by an hour. To add to the tension, Pakistan also cancelled their pre match press conference on Tuesday but did have a practice session before the UAE match. The core of Pakistan’s issue was with Pycroft whom the PCB wanted to replace. And as a cherry on top, the team didn’t attend the post match presentation after their match against India in the T20 Asia Cup.
Besides this, the Pakistan players were upset because the Indian team didn’t say hello before or after the match. This is considered a friendly gesture. Rameez Raja who was the PCB Chairman and Pakistan captain earlier said he was worried, “My problem was what Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said after the match. That was the main issue.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has given the PCB till Sunday to file an official complaint if they want to. The next India vs Pakistan match is on September 21 so the competition is getting intense off the field. What should have been a celebration of cricket is now being marred by political issues and tension. Everyone will be watching what the ICC does and how both teams behave in their next match.
