Mohsin Naqvi ‘decided to withdraw from Asia Cup’, PCB ‘stood to lose INR 132 crore’: Najam Sethi's bombshell reveal

Speaking to Samaa TV, Sethi disclosed that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had, in a moment of frustration, threatened to withdraw Pakistan from the Asia Cup following the controversial handshake incident in the league match against India in Dubai

“In the heat of the moment, Mohsin Naqvi had decided to withdraw from the Asia Cup. My friends told me, ‘Don’t go, don’t help them.’ I wasn’t even planning to help Naqvi. I went to help the Pakistan Cricket Board,” said Sethi.

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“If what he was attempting had succeeded, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage. We could have been sanctioned by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), foreign players might have refused to play in the PSL, and we stood to lose $15 million in ACC broadcasting rights,” he added.

Emergency Meeting with Naqvi

Sethi, along with another former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, held an emergency meeting with Naqvi, who is also the current ACC president, just hours before Pakistan’s must-win Group A clash against UAE.

The match carried significant weight, not just in terms of qualification but also politically, given the tensions that had escalated after Pakistan formally complained to the ICC about alleged violations of the ‘Spirit of the Game’ by match referee Andy Pycroft.

The Pakistan team was asked to stay in their hotel until the meeting began. This resulted in the match being delayed by an hour.

The 'Handshake Saga'

The controversy erupted when Suryakumar Yadav's Team India declined to shake hands with Pakistan players after India’s easy win. The PCB viewed the incident as disrespectful and accused match referee Pycroft of mishandling the situation, even demanding his removal from Pakistan's matches.

The ICC, however, backed Pycroft and clarified that he had merely relayed a message from the ACC venue manager regarding the post-match protocol.

In a further escalation, the PCB issued a press release stating that Pycroft had apologised — a claim refuted by the ICC, which said the referee had only expressed “regret” over the miscommunication.

ICC Flags Protocol Breach

Amidst the turmoil, the ICC also accused PCB of multiple protocol violations, particularly the filming of a private meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team officials. The recording, captured by the team’s media manager, was deemed a violation of the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) code.

While the PCB defended the media manager’s presence as being within ICC guidelines, tournament sources confirmed that match officials had flagged the issue to Pakistan’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) representative, acknowledging it as a breach.

'Saving the Bigger Picture'

Despite strong internal pressure not to intervene, Sethi said he saw no choice but to step in and defuse the situation before it spiraled further.

“This wasn’t about individuals. This was about the integrity of Pakistan cricket. Had Pakistan withdrawn, it could’ve led to long-term diplomatic and financial fallout,” he said.

Sethi’s timely intervention not only helped avert a withdrawal, but also ensured Pakistan took the field as scheduled against UAE — a match they went on to win, securing a place in the Super Four.

Fallout Continues

While the immediate crisis was averted, the aftershocks continue. The ICC has yet to confirm whether it will impose any sanctions related to the PMOA code violations, and relations between the PCB and global governing bodies remain tense.

With the PSL player draft and international tours on the horizon, Sethi's warning about potential long-term consequences still looms.

“This is not the end of the story,” said a tournament insider. “There are ongoing discussions at the ICC and ACC level about how to handle such situations in the future.”

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