PCB suspends top official after India ‘handshake’ controversy

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended its Director of International Cricket, Usman Wahla. This comes after the “no handshake” controversy in the Asia Cup match against India. Reports say the board was unhappy that a formal complaint against the match referee, Andy Pycroft, was not filed quickly.

The issue began when India players did not shake hands with Pakistan after the match. India said this was a tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and a show of support to the armed forces. Pakistan later accused the referee of mishandling the situation and demanded his removal from the tournament.

According to reports, the PCB felt the internal response was slow. They expected a formal protest to be raised sooner. The board has since filed a complaint and is pressing for action against the referee. Pakistan’s chairman Mohsin Naqvi also posted that the situation went against the “spirit of cricket.”

India’s captain finished the match with a six and walked straight to the dressing room with his partner. Pakistan players and staff waited on the field and then near the Indian dressing room, but there was no handshake or interaction. The matter may be reviewed by tournament officials. There is no rule that forces teams to shake hands, so any decision will likely depend on event guidelines and official reports.

What happens next will depend on the organisers and the ICC. The focus now is to keep the tournament running smoothly, with both teams preparing for possible future games.