The International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from officiating duties at the ongoing Asia Cup, despite the PCB reportedly threatening to pull out of their upcoming match against Oman over the “no-handshake” controversy that followed their seven-wicket humiliation at the hands of India.
The development has now shifted focus to Pakistan’s upcoming fixture against the UAE on Wednesday, with the Zimbabwean officially appointed as the match referee. The PCB had on Monday threatened to pull out of the contest if Pycroft continued in that role.
On Monday, the PCB lodged a complaint with the ICC, alleging that the 69-year-old had instructed Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav during the coin toss of their Asia Cup clash on Sunday.
“It is alarming to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct that clearly violates the Spirit of Cricket and MCC Laws,” the PCB letter said.
“The match referee failed to discharge his responsibility: to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise,” it added.
“In fact, the Match Referee’s instructions to the two team captains were entirely directed towards achieving the opposite result. This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the Match Referee to conduct himself in a manner that is contrary to the spirit of the game and violates the MCC Laws.
“Given the gravity, political nature/background, and far-reaching consequences and repercussions, the misconduct has also caused disrepute to the game,” it further stated.
However, sources revealed that the ICC has clarified the matter through an official letter, explaining that Pycroft was merely relaying instructions given to him by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officials present at the venue. This, the ICC said, dispels Pakistan’s claim that the referee was acting on behalf of the Indian team.
It remains uncertain whether the ACC, which is headed by PCB president Mohsin Naqvi, can intervene to replace the referee for the match. Typically, appointments of match referees and umpires fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction.
Adding to the tension, Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema also filed a protest with the ACC, claiming that it was on Pycroft’s directive that team sheets were not exchanged between the two skippers before the start of play, as is customary.
The controversy stems from Sunday’s match, where India registered a commanding win but chose not to engage in the customary post-match handshake. Suryakumar and his teammates instead marked their stance as a gesture of respect for the victims and families of the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicated their victory to the Indian Armed Forces for Operation Sindoor.