The Asia Cup 2025 turned out to be highly disappointing for Pakistan as they failed to defeat India in any of their three encounters. Despite showing signs of improvement in narrowing the margin of losses, the outcome stayed the same, with India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, always finishing on top.
Pakistan’s inability to perform on the field often led to them diverting attention through political gestures, which did manage to shift focus temporarily. However, as the tournament concluded, Pakistan’s former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal expressed strong displeasure and delivered a clear suggestion.
“The Pakistan board should immediately say that ‘we should never play against India’. Let’s see what action the ICC takes. What else evidence do you need after this? But the BCCI person is leading the ICC. How will he (Jay Shah) take any action? The other boards have to come together, say we can’t see this in cricket. Sport is not played at anyone’s home. If others don’t play them, then no money is going to come,” Akmal said during a discussion on ARY News.
Call for Neutral Body to Oversee India-Pakistan Matches
Kamran Akmal argued that the controversies surrounding matches between India and Pakistan cannot be left unchecked. He emphasized that the establishment of an unbiased authority is essential for fairness in future contests. According to him, leaving decisions in the hands of either the BCCI or PCB only fuels disputes, and thus external boards should step in. “The earlier these things can be controlled, the better for everybody.”
“A neutral body has to be formed without Pakistan and India, make a committee of Australians, South Africans, and New Zealanders, and let them decide on what action to be taken about all that has happened in this tournament,” he added. His comments reflect Pakistan’s long-standing frustration with how high-profile matches with India are governed, especially given the political and financial power the Indian board wields within the ICC.
Criticism of India’s Conduct in the Final
In addition to suggesting structural reforms, Akmal did not hold back in attacking the Indian side’s behaviour during the Asia Cup final. He accused them of lowering the standard of the sport by resorting to unnecessary controversies. “This cheap harkatein (behaviour) we shall keep seeing from India. We have seen in this tournament that they have done as much damage to cricket as they could.”
“The PCB and ACC president took the right stand, to take the trophy or not, it will be given by the president only. India will become the joke of the cricketing world,” said Akmal. His strong words underline the bitterness following Pakistan’s repeated losses and the drama that overshadowed the cricketing spirit in the tournament.
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