Wed Sep 24 04:44:31 UTC 2025: **Gavaskar Slams PCB’s Antics at Asia Cup, Accuses Them of Holding Game “To Ransom”**
**[City, Date]** – Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their behavior during the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, calling their actions “hard to understand” and accusing them of holding their match against the UAE “to ransom.”
The controversy began when the Indian team opted out of the customary pre-match handshake with their Pakistani counterparts. This led to the PCB lodging an official complaint with the ICC, alleging that match referee Andy Pycroft failed to uphold the spirit of cricket. The ICC rejected the complaint.
In his column for *Sportstar*, Gavaskar questioned the logic behind the complaint, stating, “There is nothing in the rule books that says handshakes are mandatory.” He pointed out previous instances in sports where opponents who had clashed did not shake hands.
Gavaskar also called for scrutiny regarding the Pakistani contingent’s decision to skip the mandatory pre-match press conference. “It will be interesting to see if any action is taken for avoiding what is mandatory,” he wrote.
However, Gavaskar’s sharpest criticism was reserved for the delay in the start of Pakistan’s must-win game against the UAE. The match was delayed by an hour, reportedly due to the PCB’s continued issues with the match referee.
“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,” Gavaskar stated, accusing the PCB of keeping everyone in suspense and holding the game “to ransom.”
He further added that the PCB misinterpreted the ICC’s statement of “regrettable miscommunication” as an apology, which they claimed to have secured, leading them to agree to play.
First Piper 