India vs Pakistan Handshake Row: From Boycott Threat To Late Pull Out Drama - Full Timeline
From India refusing to shake hands with Pakistan to the latter almost pulling out of the Asia Cup 2025, let's take a look at how incidents played out in the saga.
The Pakistan cricket team threatened to pull out of their crucial Asia Cup 2025 Group A clash against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, before eventually playing after a one-hour delay, culminating in the climax of a series of events that have taken place following their match against arch-rivals India on Sunday. Pakistan's threat came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their demand of match referee Andy Pycroft being replaced for their game against the UAE. However, Pycroft did apologise to the Pakistan team. Let's take a detailed look at the timeline of events that have taken place in recent days, starting with the Indian team refusing to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts after their match on Sunday.
Sunday, September 14: India refuse to shake hands with Pakistan
Led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, Team India refused to shake hands or exchange post-match pleasantries with the Pakistan players after their Asia Cup match.
Suryakumar Yadav and India head coach Gautam Gambhir also showed their solidarity with the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Monday, September 15: Andy Pycroft's role in no-handshake saga revealed
Zimbabwe's Andy Pycroft, the match referee for the India-Pakistan encounter, was reported to the ICC by the PCB for breaking ICC's Code of Conduct.
Reports emerged that Pycroft had advised Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to not shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav at the toss, after learning that India had no intention to shake hands with Pakistan.
Pakistan demanded that Pycroft, who is also the designated match referee for their game against UAE, be removed from that role and be replaced by West Indies' Richie Richardson. PCB alleged that Pycroft allowed India to skip the customary handshakes.
Tuesday, September 16: ICC reject Pakistan's demand
The ICC rejected Pakistan's demand, stating that they had found no fault in Pycroft's conduct. This led to Pakistan threatening to withdraw from their match against the UAE.
Wednesday, September 17: Pycroft apologises, Pakistan play UAE after one-hour delay
For a while, it seemed as if Pakistan were all set to pull out of the Asia Cup. Pakistan's players, who had boarded the bus to the stadium, were asked to step out.
Moments later, the match was delayed by an hour. Later, the PCB released a statement, clarifying that Pycroft had apologised to team captain Agha and the team manager.
It is now to be seen whether any further investigation into the no-handshake row takes place from the side of the ICC.
Thursday, September 18 - PCB in trouble with ICC
On Thursday, reports emerged that the PCB's decision to allow their media manager to film the conversation between Pycroft and the Pakistan team went against the rules of the ICC. As a result, Pakistan could be penalised by the ICC.
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team