The Pakistan Cricket Board has complained to the International Cricket Council following a controversial end to their Asia Cup match against India in Dubai where their opponents refused to shake hands.
Controversy erupted as India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not greet his counterpart Salman Agha during the coin toss on Sunday.
After India completed a comfortable seven-wicket win, India's players refused to come out of the dressing room to shake the hands of Pakistan players who were waiting for them on the ground at the Dubai International Stadium.
In his post-match press conference, Suryakumar said his players had taken the stand to show "solidarity" with the victims of the Pahalgam attack earlier in the year.
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson said he was disappointed with the actions of the Indian team. Later, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said a formal complaint had been lodged with the world governing body about the conduct of the match referee.
According to Naqvi, match referee Andy Pycroft had requested captains Suryakumar and Agha to not shake hands during the coin toss.
Late on Sunday, the PCB chief said: "Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let's hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace."
Then on Monday, Naqvi revealed the PCB had taken the matter further.
"The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the match referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the spirit of cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the match referee from the Asia Cup," he said in a post on X.
India captain Suryakumar was unusually forthright during his presser, especially since players are dissuaded from making political statements around a match.
“We took a call. We came here just to play the game. We gave the proper reply,” Suryakumar, who top-scored with 47 as India chased down Pakistan's total of 127-9 with ease, said.
“I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsman’s spirit,” he added.
“I said at the [on-field, post-match] presentation as well that we stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. We stand with their families, also, and express our solidarity."
Tensions were high heading into the contest that was the first between the sides since a four-day military conflict in May. That military escalation came after an April terrorist attack that killed 26 Indians in Pahalgam in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Pakistan coach Hesson said he was saddened by the way the match ended. “We were ready to shake hands,” he added. “Our opposition didn’t do that. We went over there to shake hands and they had already gone into the changing room.
“It was a disappointing way for the match to finish. We were disappointed with the way we played, but we were certainly willing to go over and shake hands.”
Pakistan captain Agha also skipped the post-match presentation in response to the handshake controversy.
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
