Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar minced no words as he tore into Pakistan for skipping the mandatory pre-match press conference ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s game against India. On Saturday, the entire squad turned up at the ICC Academy for their training session, but the contingent decided to skip the press conference, just like they did before the group stage match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Salman Ali Agha-led side has all the odds stacked against it heading into the contest against India. The group stage match between the two teams sparked controversy after India refused to shake hands with their opponents.
This led to a constant back-and-forth between the PCB and ICC as the former demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft for the remainder of the eight-team tournament. However, the ICC refused to listen to these demands, saying Pycroft did nothing wrong.
Pakistan’s resistance to holding a press conference clearly indicates that the camp doesn’t want to answer queries regarding the PCB’s behaviour and the demand to remove Pycroft. The cancellation of the engagements with the media rubbed Gavaskar the wrong way, and the 1983 World Cup winner made his opinion quite clear.
“I don’t know what the thinking behind that is, but as far as I know, press conferences are mandatory. If teams don’t hold them, I’m not sure what the penalties are-if any-but in today’s world, it’s important for the media to be involved and kept informed,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“It’s still essential to maintain open communication with the media. Instead of relying on ‘sources’ or speculation, it’s always better for teams to convey their point of view directly. Perhaps Pakistan feel they have nothing to share, which, frankly, isn’t surprising,” he added.
‘Deduct a point’
The former India captain also said that, going forward, if any team fails to follow the tournament rules, points should be deducted to teach them a proper lesson.
It must be stated that Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the PCB, is the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and a Minister in the current Pakistan government.
“Yes, Mohsin Naqvi is the head of the ACC, but there is an organisation under him that includes India, Sri Lanka, and other participating and non-participating member nations – that collectively form the Asian Cricket Council. As far as I know, there’s a governing committee within the ACC for tournaments like this, and they’ll likely want to understand what’s going on,” said Gavaskar.
“If there is something in the rulebook stating that attending press conferences is mandatory, then perhaps going forward, if a team fails to comply, a point could be deducted from their table. That might be a viable way forward,” he added.