The Pakistan Cricket Board has accused Indian players of provocative behaviour during the Under-19 Asia Cup final and said it plans to raise the matter with the International Cricket Council.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan would “formally inform” the ICC about the conduct of the Indian team during the final, which Pakistan won by 191 runs in Dubai on Sunday.
Players from both sides were seen engaged in verbal altercations during the match, and the two teams did not exchange the customary handshakes before and after the game.
“Indian players kept provoking Pakistani players during the Under-19 Asia Cup final,” Naqvi said at a reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Pakistan will formally inform the ICC about the incident. Politics and sports should always be kept separate,” he added.
Pakistan team mentor-cum-manager Sarfaraz Ahmed also criticised the conduct of the Indian players, saying he was disappointed with their behaviour.
“The behaviour and attitude of the Indian players was not good and improper,” he alleged.
Even if Pakistan files a formal complaint, the ICC would rely on the report submitted by the match referee to decide on any action.
India-Pakistan diplomatic ties have sharply deteriorated after the Pahalgam terror attack in April earlier this year, in which 26 tourists were gunned down by terrorists.
The Indian government has banned all bilateral sports engagement with Pakistan, while exempting multi-nation competitions, citing the Olympic Charter that prohibits discrimination on political grounds.