The ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025 has been marred by numerous off-field controversies. The tournament has made the headlines recently for the handshake saga between India and Pakistan, which led to PCB threatening to boycott their game against the UAE.
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Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi has now opened up on the incident and has highlighted what went behind their dramatic call for a boycott, stating that had the board decided not to play the game against the UAE, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable losses.
Najam Sethi relieved Pakistan did not boycott Asia Cup 2025 match
The entire controversy came into the scene when Team India refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players post their win in Dubai last Sunday. This came as the side's protest against the inhuman terror attack earlier this year, which took the lives of several innocent Indians.
India's act did not go well with the Pakistan side and the PCB. The board lodged a formal complaint to the ICC against the match referee, Andy Pycroft, stating that the Zimbabwean failed to uphold the spirit of the game.
ICC, however, rejected all the claims by the PCB as Pycroft continued as the match official for their games further. The decision left the PCB fuming, as they decided to boycott their clash against the UAE on September 17th.
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Talking to Samaa TV, Najam Sethi has shared some insights into the matter. "In the heat of the moment, Mohsin Naqvi had decided to withdraw from the Asia Cup. My friends told me, ‘Don’t go, don’t help them.’ I wasn’t even planning to help Naqvi. I went to help the Pakistan Cricket Board," said Sethi.
Had PCB withdrawn from the game, the board would have faced a significant dual loss. The Pakistani side would have been eliminated from the tournament, and in addition, the board would have been sanctioned a hefty sum of around 130 Cr INR.
"If what he was attempting had succeeded, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage. We could have been sanctioned by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), penalized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), foreign players might have refused to play in the PSL, and we stood to lose $15 million in ACC broadcasting rights," he added.
PCB agreed to play the game against UAE after one hour delay
The PCB conducted an emergency meeting just ahead of their do-or-die clash against the UAE. The meeting included the current chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, along with the former chairmen Ramiz Raza and Najam Sethi.
The Asia Cup game against the UAE was of significant value to the Pakistani side both on and off the field. Most importantly, their qualification was at stake, and the heavy penalty they could have faced post their boycott would have left the board in shatters.
The emergency meeting between the board Chairmen led to the decision of the side playing their game. The match eventually happened as it started with an hour's delay. Pakistan won the game and qualified for the Super Fours.
Although the matter has boiled down for now, the drama is far from over. Pakistan is all set to face India once again on September 21st, and with everything that has happened, it is expected to produce a thriller, both on and off the field.
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