Boria Majumdar in Dubai
And so, the Asia Cup continues, for now. Until Pakistan find the next reason to throw the toys out of the pram. Over the last three days, poor Andy Pycroft has garnered a thousand times as many column inches as he ever did during a modest nine-year international career with Zimbabwe. To make it even more perplexing, the furore over his behaviour is a complete non-issue.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleges that it was Pycroft that told Salman Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav at the toss. They claim that by doing so, Pycroft acted against the Laws of Cricket. But here’s the thing – the Marylebone Cricket Club’s Laws say nothing about handshakes. They focus only on the rules governing the game – the playing conditions, scoring, dismissals, and conduct – and say nothing about rituals or traditions.
Yes, the handshake at the toss is a long-established tradition, but let’s nosuryat kid ourselves that the India-Pakistan match was being played in normal circumstances. If anything, the handshake has to do with the much-misunderstood Spirit of Cricket, which is part of the preamble to the laws.
That does mention mutual respect, and speaks of players not attempting to distract, intimidate or challenge opponents. You could argue that Pycroft’s actions in fact helped the spirit of cricket. It had been made crystal clear to him that India’s players would not shake hands with the opposition – on the basis of a directive given to them by the BCCI. Rather than have Agha extend his hand and be rebuffed in front of an audience of millions, Pycroft ensured such a scene wouldn’t take place.
The same scenario will likely play out on Sunday when the two countries meet again in the Super 4s. With the public back home overwhelmingly in favour of the no-handshakes policy, there’s next to no chance that India will change tack on Sunday. Nothing in cricket’s laws compels them to either. As for Pakistan, they either keep crying and spreading canards, or focus on what matters – playing some half-decent cricket.
A word too on Mohsin Naqvi, whose reckless behaviour jeopardised the entire tournament. While wearing his Pakistan cap, Naqvi presumably forgot that he is the current head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which hasn’t been in robust financial health for a while now, stands to make around $15m from this Asia Cup alone. Each year, the ACC divides up its revenue, with the five Test-playing nations getting 15 per cent each.
That money is a drop in the ocean for India. If the ACC was to fold tomorrow, it wouldn’t impact Indian cricket in the slightest. It would, however, have catastrophic consequences for the other boards, including Pakistan. Maybe think hard and think twice before spitting on your own doorstep?
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