Mumbai, Sep 29 (NationPress) Following a series of controversies, including objections to match referee Andy Pycroft over the no handshake incident, threats to withdraw from the competition, and the refusal to award the trophy to the rightful winners, Pakistan is now facing potential international sanctions as reported.

Sources from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) indicated to Telecom Asia Sport that this issue will be a focal point in the upcoming ICC Board meeting next week.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will bring this matter up in the ICC Board meeting next week after a series of incidents where the PCB adopted a confrontational approach, from raising objections against the match referee to withholding the trophy from the winners,” sources told www.telecomasia.net.

On Sunday, Indian players declined to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who is not only the president of the ACC and PCB but also serves as Pakistan's interior minister and plays a role in the military conflict with India following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

The ACC vice president, Aminul Islam of Bangladesh, along with Mubashir Usmani of ICC Associates, attempted to persuade Naqvi to reconsider his stance, but he remained firm.

“Islam had proposed to hand the trophy to India, but Naqvi insisted, as ACC President, that he would personally present the trophy,” sources revealed. “Naqvi was continuously on the phone, seeking advice from his superiors who appeared to have instructed him to hold his ground.”

Naqvi directed the ACC staff to remove the trophy before presenter Simon Doull from New Zealand announced that, per ACC orders, India would not receive the trophy that night. “The abrupt removal of the trophy left everyone astonished. Sultan Mohammad Zarwani, the CEO of the Emirates Board, also attempted to mediate, but to no avail.

“Withdrawing the trophy without presenting it to the winners is an unprecedented action and could be perceived as an infraction, which may have repercussions for the PCB if the BCCI takes a strong position in the ICC meeting,” sources noted to Telecom Asia Sport.

Prior to the trophy debacle, PCB was already on a collision course following the match between India and Pakistan on September 14.

They had lodged a formal complaint against Pycroft for passing on a message from the BCCI to Pakistan's captain Salman Agha to avoid shaking hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav during the toss, as reported.

This led Pakistan to file a complaint against match referee Pycroft, alleging his complicity in the no handshake incident. They demanded his removal from the tournament, but the International Cricket Council dismissed that request, believing it would set a poor precedent.

“Pakistan's objection to Pycroft did not sit well with the ICC. After the governing body rejected that demand, the PCB opted for the drastic measure of withdrawing from the Asia Cup. They were almost prepared to pull out just two hours before their last Group A match against the United Arab Emirates,” PCB sources revealed.

The match was delayed for one hour, with Pakistan ultimately winning and advancing to the Super Four. However, the protest was not well received by the ICC.

“The protest over Suryakumar also angered the BCCI, leading to reciprocal complaints regarding the gestures of Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan. The ICC held hearings involving the Indian captain and two Pakistan players, but no official statements have been released,” sources stated.

Farhan was charged for a celebration that suggested gunfire after reaching fifty in the second game, while Rauf was seen making gestures related to Pakistan's unproven claims of downing Indian aircraft during the military conflict.

The report indicated that ICC officials were displeased with Naqvi's confrontational conduct, which resulted in numerous incidents during the Asia Cup. Such behavior could have negative consequences for Pakistan, sources added. The ICC is currently chaired by Jay Shah, whose father serves as India's Home Minister, Amit Shah.