Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer and former captain, did not hold back in criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over its conduct during the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. The controversy began after Pakistan skipped mandatory pre-match press conferences and delayed their group stage match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by an hour. The PCB was demanding the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft, which led to the late start and heightened tensions.

The trouble initially erupted after India’s Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players following their group match. In response, the PCB sent multiple emails to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for Pycroft’s removal, accusing him of failing to uphold the spirit of cricket. However, Gavaskar pointed out that there is no rule requiring players to shake hands after a match, and the PCB’s complaint seemed unfounded.

Writing in his Sportstar column, Gavaskar said, “There is nothing in the rule books that says handshakes are mandatory. Many sports have seen opponents refusing handshakes without controversy.” He added that the bigger issue was Pakistan’s consistent avoidance of the compulsory pre-match media sessions, which they could have handled through any member of their support staff.

The ICC rejected Pakistan’s demands, but the PCB threatened to pull out of the tournament, causing the match against UAE to be delayed by an hour. Gavaskar was critical of this tactic, calling it “holding the game to ransom.” He said the PCB had two days after their loss to India to raise any issues but chose to disrupt the schedule at the last minute.

Just before the delayed match began, the PCB claimed that Pycroft had apologized for his “regrettable actions.” Gavaskar dismissed this, saying the term “regrettable” was used merely to smooth things over and that Pycroft’s role was to avoid embarrassment for the Pakistani captain. He described the whole episode as a mix of politics and sport, with the PCB using tactics that set an unwelcome precedent. Gavaskar concluded that such behavior should not be tolerated in cricket or any sport moving forward.