Follow UsFormer Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has suggested that the Men in Green should stop playing against India in multi-nation events after what transpired in Asia Cup 2025. India defeated Pakistan three times in the tournament - including the final - but every match was mired in controversy.
The drama began in the group stage, when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) filed an official complaint with the ICC, alleging that Indian players breached the spirit of cricket by refusing post-match handshakes. The PCB also demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft, claiming he had advised India captain Suryakumar Yadav to avoid shaking hands with his Pakistan counterpart at the toss.
Tensions escalated during the Super Fours encounter, where Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan were seen making provocative gestures at Indian fans. Haris and Shaheen Shah Afridi were also involved in multiple heated exchanges with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma.
The final added more fuel to the fire. Once again, no handshakes took place, and after India won by five wickets in a thrilling match, the team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and PCB chairman. Naqvi later walked away with India’s trophy and the winners’ medals.
“Pakistan board should immediately say that ‘we should never play against India’. Let’s see what action ICC takes. What else evidence do you need after this? But the BCCI person is leading the ICC – how will he (Jay Shah) take any action? The other boards have to come together, say we can’t see this in cricket. Sport is not played at anyone’s home. If others don’t play them, then no money is going to come,” Akmal told ARY News, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“The earlier these things can be controlled, the better for everybody. A neutral body has to be formed without Pakistan and India, make a committee of Australians, South Africans, and New Zealanders and let them decide on what action to be taken about all that has happened in this tournament.”
Akmal also criticised India’s behaviour, calling it “cheap” and said Naqvi did the right thing by walking away with the trophy. "This cheap harkatein (behaviour) we shall keep seeing from India. We have seen in this tournament that they have done as much damage to cricket as they could. PCB and ACC president took the right stand - take the trophy or not, it will be given by the president only. India will become the joke of the cricketing world," he said.