'No handshake after game'; Pakistan mulls boycotting Asia Cup tournament

DUBAI: Pakistan threatened to boycott the upcoming Asia Cup matches over the Indian team members not showing the niceties of a handshake at the end of the match on Sunday. Pakistan is demanding that Andy Pycroft, who was the match referee in the India-Pakistan match, be removed from the tournament's refereeing panel.

Pakistan is considering pulling out of the tournament, accusing Pycroft of not taking necessary action over the Indian captain not shaking hands with his counterpart during the start of the game, thus breaching the customary rules of the sport.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi demanded that Pycroft be removed from the refereeing panel or else Pakistan will boycott the tournament. The PCB alleged that the match referee even instructed the Pakistan captain not to attempt a handshake with the Indian captain while on the ground for the toss. The board said that the Pakistan team management had protested, labelling this behaviour as against the spirit of sportsmanship. Pakistan's next match is against the hosts, the UAE.