In a major blow to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down its appeal to overturn match referee Andy Pycroft in the wake of the 'no handshake debacle' in the Asia Cup 2025 match against India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, had sought the immediate withdrawal of Pycroft for telling Pakistan captain Salman Agha off during the toss.
"The PCB has filed a complaint with the ICC against breaches by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws under the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has also called for the immediate ouster of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup," Naqvi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"Late last evening, ICC had sent a response to PCB saying that Pycroft will not be taken out and their appeal has been turned down," an ICC source informed PTI.
The 69-year-old Zimbabwean umpire is set to referee Pakistan's last group match against the UAE on Wednesday.
Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema had also forwarded a complaint to the Asian Cricket Council, alleging that it was on Pycroft's insistence that the captains did not do a team sheet exchange on Sunday, as is the practice.
Pycroft, one of the most experienced match referees in the ICC Elite Panel, has officiated 695 international matches between men and women's formats.
Reports indicate the issue arose from PCB's Director of Cricket Operations, Usman Walha, who did not notify Pakistan's captain regarding the rules and regulations of the tournament.
Well-informed sources confirm PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the current chairman of ACC, ordered Walha's removal on Monday, attributing this to the embarrassment generated to the team and its captain. Sources claim that the briefing of Salman Agha regarding the "No Handshake" policy was the duty of Walha but wasn't taken up, leaving the Pakistan skipper in the dark.
The PCB had requested Pycroft to be removed from the whole tournament but with the ICC, headed by India's Jay Shah, denying this, the board now needs to carry on its campaign.
A reported attempt is being made to come up with a diplomatic solution where Pycroft would not be officiating for Pakistan's matches. A possible suggestion from the PCB was to have Richie Richardson act for the game against UAE, although it is not clear whether this will happen or not.
Speculation also arose that the PCB could boycott their upcoming match against the UAE on September 17 if Pycroft continued to be on the referee panel. Although this threat was covered by Pakistani media, it has not been verified by any official PCB source.
With only a single victory from two games, Pakistan need to beat the UAE to reach the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2025. Winning would also arrange for a contest against India on Sunday in the tournament's next phase.
