The no-handshake saga of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 encounter seems to be nearing its end. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has, allegedly, got its basic requirement from the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the governing body of cricket agreeing to keep match referee Andy Pycroft out of the remaining matches that Salman Agha's team are to feature in the competition.
Though this development brings the controversy within reach of being resolved, it was only achieved after the PCB identified Director of Cricket Operations Usman Walha as one of the prime movers of the debacle.
After the incident, the PCB had also found two main perpetrators: Walha and Pycroft. With both now apparently pushed aside, the route to bringing an end to the scandal seems clear.
PTI reported a report that indicated that the controversy was a result of PCB Director of Cricket Operations Usman Walha not briefing his captain on the rules and regulations to be adopted during the tournament.
Enraged with Walha, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi allegedly demanded his removal for bringing shame to the national team and its captain, especially in case Pakistan withdraws from the tournament.
Sources indicated that briefing Salman on the "No Handshake" policy was Walha's job, but he failed to do it, and the Pakistan captain was left unaware.
"Walha must have issued a statement at the toss itself when the two captains failed to shake hands. Naqvi clearly was angry, as he did not handle the situation properly," a PCB source added.
There were suggestions that Pakistan would withdraw from the tournament after the handshake controversy, but these seemed more of a threat, as the PCB could stand to lose between USD 16 million in revenue from the Asian Cricket Council's tournament.
"Can Naqvi risk Pakistan losing around USD 16 million out of a projected budget of USD 227 million for the fiscal year? That will be roughly seven percent of the annual PCB revenue gone," a source close to developments in PCB told PTI.
As a reply, the PCB asked the ICC to name Richie Richardson as the match referee for Pakistan's remaining Asia Cup matches, which the highest cricket authority is reported to have accepted.
