Handshake row: Pakistan unlikely to pull out of the Asia Cup - PCB source

TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Amidst the tension surrounding the ‘handshake drama’ that unfolded on Sunday night at the Dubai International Stadium, it is highly unlikely that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will withdraw from the ongoing Asia Cup, TimesofIndia.com has learnt."It is very unlikely that the PCB will pull out from the Asia Cup," a PCB source told TimesofIndia.com."If we do that, ICC led by Jay Shah will put heavy sanctions on the PCB, and this is something our board cannot afford. The financial situation post the Champions Trophy, where all the stadiums were renovated, is not good," the source added.

This comes a day after PCB president and current Asian Cricket Council head Mohsin Naqvi had posted on social media: “There is nothing more important to me than the honour and prestige of my country.”PCB had also lodged a complaint against match referee Andrew Pycroft to the ICC, who had asked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to skip the customary handshake at the toss.“It is alarming to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct which clearly violates the Spirit of Cricket and MCC Laws," read the PCB letter.“The match referee failed to discharge his responsibility: to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides; and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise.

“In fact, the match referee’s instructions to the two team captains were entirely directed towards achieving the opposite result. This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the match referee to conduct himself in a manner that is contrary to the spirit of the game and violates the MCC Laws.“Given the gravity, political nature/background, and far-reaching consequences and repercussions, the misconduct has also caused disrepute to the game."We believe the highest level of offence has been committed.”TimesofIndia.com can confirm that the ICC has rejected PCB's plea.India and Pakistan are scheduled to train at the ICC Academy on Tuesday. While the time slots are different, the two teams will be at the same venue in preparation for their respective next matches. India's training is from 6 pm to 9 pm (local time), while Pakistan will train from 8 pm to 11 pm (local time).India have already qualified for the Super 4s following UAE's win over Oman on Monday. Meanwhile, Pakistan will play hosts the UAE on Wednesday in a must-win encounter. If they manage to beat UAE, Pakistan will again lock horns with India on Sunday.