LAHORE: The Indian media on Tuesday claimed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup.
According to the reports, the ICC formally informed the PCB of its decision last night, dismissing Pakistan’s stance that Pycroft had acted at the behest of the Indian team.
The PCB had filed an official complaint with the ICC, accusing Pycroft of violating the “Spirit of Cricket” by allegedly asking the Pakistan and India captains not to shake hands at the toss before their Asia Cup 2025 fixture on Sunday.
The complaint also referred to the absence of the customary handshake between the two sides after the match.
There are reports of a possibility of ICC match referee Richard Richardson being appointed as the match referee for Pakistan’s upcoming Asia Cup fixtures, though no official confirmation has been made.
Sources earlier said Pakistan was considering withdrawing from the tournament if its demand was not met, describing the next few hours as crucial for future deliberations.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is expected to consult senior government officials in Lahore later today to discuss the board’s next course of action.
The controversy arose after Pakistan and India captains avoided a handshake at the toss during their September 14 Asia Cup 2025 fixture, an omission reportedly directed by match referee Pycroft.
The same was repeated towards the end of the match, when the players of the opposing teams shook hands as per cricketing tradition, where the Indian team skipped the customary post-match handshake.
While the Indian players congratulated each other at the dugout after the match, they refrained from acknowledging or shaking hands with the Pakistani team.
Pakistan’s players lined up expecting the customary handshake, only to see the Indian team retreat and close the dressing room doors.
India’s victorious captain, Suryakumar, defended his team’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players, saying that it was taken in alignment with their government and cricket board.
“We are aligned with the government and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Some things are above sportsmanship. Is it really sportsmanship if you don’t even shake hands with the opposing team? That was our answer,” he said.
The move prompted a strong reaction from the cricketing fraternity as well as Mohsin Naqvi, who heads both the PCB and is also the serving head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Not only did Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, in protest, refused to attend the post-match presentation ceremony, breaking from broadcast norms where captains usually share their thoughts, the PCB has filed a formal complaint with the ICC and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), calling for the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 — for reportedly instructing the omission of the customary handshake.
Apart from taking up the matter with the ICC, the PCB has also come down hard on its own Director of International Cricket, Usman Wahla, and has suspended him over failure to promptly forward an official letter to the ICC concerning the Asia Cup handshake controversy.
The Sunday’s match, the first ever since the two countries were involved in an armed conflict triggered by India’s cross-border attack, followed by Pakistan’s retaliation and launch of “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”.
The hostilities left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone, and artillery exchanges, before a ceasefire was eventually reached.
The neighbours have not met on either side’s soil in a bilateral series since 2012 and only play each other in international tournaments on neutral ground as part of a compromise deal.
Pakistan cancel pre-match presser
The Asia Cup Media Office has officially announced that Pakistan will not be holding their pre-match press conference today.
The briefing had been scheduled for 8:30pm PST at Dubai Cricket Stadium, ahead of Pakistan’s group match against the UAE on September 17.
Meanwhile, the UAE squad continues preparations at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai, where they are training for the much-anticipated clash with Pakistan.
