Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday announced that the board would approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what it described as “provocative behaviour” by Indian players during the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup 2025 final, Geo News reported.
Pakistan delivered a dominant performance in the title clash, thrashing India by 191 runs at the ICC Academy on Sunday to clinch the championship.
Speaking at a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to felicitate the victorious Pakistan Under-19 side, Naqvi alleged that Indian players repeatedly provoked their Pakistani counterparts during the final.
“Indian players kept provoking Pakistani players in the U19 Asia Cup final,” Naqvi said. “Pakistan will inform the ICC about the incident,” he said, adding that politics and sports should be kept separate.
Tensions between the two cricketing nations have intensified amid ongoing geopolitical issues, with sportsmanship concerns surfacing throughout the tournament.
Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Under-19 team mentor and former national captain Sarfaraz Ahmed criticised India for what he termed “unethical conduct” during the match.
“India’s behaviour during the game was not good, and the Indian team’s conduct was unethical,” Sarfaraz said. “But we celebrated the victory with sportsmanship, because there should always be sportsmanship in cricket. What India did is their own action.”
The issue of sportsmanship between the two sides has been under scrutiny throughout the tournament.
In September, Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav had declined to participate in customary post-match handshakes with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and other players during their Asia Cup 2025 encounters, including the final.
The absence of traditional handshakes at the conclusion of those matches drew widespread attention, with several observers questioning the spirit of the game.
The Indian team also refused to collect the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in the final by five wickets, allegedly following directives from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
