DUBAI: Pakistan lodged a complaint on Monday with cricket’s governing body over the conduct of match referee Andy Pycroft during their Asia Cup clash with India, as political tensions between the neighbours spilled onto the field.

India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in Dubai on Sunday in the first meeting between the two sides since a four-day military conflict in May. The match, overseen by Zimbabwean official Pycroft, passed without incident but ended without the customary handshakes, intensifying the rancour between the two camps.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleged that Pycroft told captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav before the toss. No handshakes followed the game either, with Indian players heading straight into their dressing room. As a protest, Pakistan did not send their captain for post-match duties.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement on social media: “The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the match referee of the ICC code of conduct and the MCC laws pertaining to the spirit of cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate rem­oval of the match referee from the Asia Cup.” Mohsin, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), called India’s actions a “lack of sportsmanship.”

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson expressed disappointment. “We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game. We obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” he told reporters. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room. That was a disappointing way for the match to finish. Salman Agha not attending the presentation ceremony was a follow-on effect of that refusal.”

At his press conference, India captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the decision came from New Delhi.

“We are aligned with the Indian government and the BCCI,” he said, when asked why the teams had not shaken hands. At the presentation ceremony, he dedicated the victory to India’s armed forces and expressed solidarity with victims of the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which triggered the May conflict. “We took a call (on not shaking hands). We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply,” he said.

India and Pakistan were playing for the first time since cross-border hostilities in May left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery excha­nges, before a ceasefire. The fighting followed an attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing, a charge Pakistan denies.

The ICC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013, and they meet only in multi-team tournaments. Sunday’s encounter went ahead despite calls in India for a boycott.

The two teams are likely to face each other again in the Super Four stage in Dubai on Sunday, provided Pakistan win their final group game against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. They could also meet in the Asia Cup final on September 28 if results align.

The Asia Cup remains the flagship tournament of the ACC.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025