“There is nothing in the rule books” - Sunil Gavaskar roasts PCB for their drama in Asia Cup 2025

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making a mess out of the handshake controversy after the India vs Pakistan group stage clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 campaign on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai.

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Writing his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar stated that he didn’t understand the logic behind the PCB’s demand to replace the match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing competition, since handshakes are not mandatory in the lawbook.

"The PCB complaining about it was hard to understand, as there is nothing in the rule books that says handshakes are mandatory. There are many previous instances in different sports where opponents who have clashed have not shaken hands after their match has ended. The ICC quite rightly ignored the protest, if indeed there was one made as per media reports," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Moreover, he went on to write, asserting that the Pakistan Cricket Board should be questioned for skipping their mandatory pre-match press conference ahead of their Super Four clash against India.

"What needs to be looked at is the avoidance of the mandatory media meet on the eve of the match by the Pakistani contingent. They did not have to send the captain, players or the coach. Anyone among the large support staff could have met the media. That did not happen, and it will be interesting to see if any action is taken to avoid what is mandatory," he wrote.

Additionally, Gavaskar lashed out at the PCB for their off-field boycott drama ahead of their group stage clash against the United Arab Emirates, causing one-hour delay to the start of the match. 

"The other thing that left a sour taste in the mouth is holding up the game and starting it one hour late. If the PCB had any issues to discuss with and about the match referee Andy Pycroft, then it had two full days after their loss to India and before the game against the UAE in which to do so. By keeping everybody in suspense and not even turning up at the ground until almost the toss time, they held the game to ransom," he went on to write.

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"There is simply no excuse for delaying the start of the game for an hour while haggling to get an apology from the match referee for something that was also not in any of the rule books. Then, despite the ICC, which appoints the umpires and match referees, saying there was no apology given, the PCB insisted that they had secured one and so agreed to play. They pounced on the words 'regrettable miscommunication' to say that this was the apology," he concluded his column.

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