The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday,September 15 demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft after a no-handshake controversy during the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup clash on Sunday, September 14. Pycroft himself took to social media and broke the silence over the episode.
Taking to X, Pycroft blamed Pakistan players for having a history of bringing disrepute to the game of cricket while naming former and current cricketers. He wrote, “I stand by every decision that I took yesterday. Pakistan players have had a history of bringing disrepute to the game of cricket be it Hafeez and Ajmal in past (reported for chucking by me) or the current bunch of players like Faheem and Abrar. ”
Team India’s handshake controversy
Team India shut the door on their Pakistan counterparts after thrashing them by 7 wickets in Dubai. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field after hitting the winning runs, while the rest of the members also went inside the dressing room, while Pakistan players waited for the customary handshake. A similar incident happened at the toss when Surya avoied handshake with his Pakistani counterpart.
Following the incident, PCB launched a complaint over Team India’s actions. According to PTI, PCB satement said,”Team manager Naveed Cheema lodged a strong protest against the Indian players’ behaviour of not shaking hands. It was deemed as unsporting and against the spirit of the game. As a protest, we did not send our captain to the post-match ceremony,”
Will Andy Pycroft be removed from Asia Cup 2025
The Pakistan Cricket Board had written a letter to the ICC holding match referee Andy Pycroft responsible for the no-handshake fiasco. However, a report by Cricbuzz suggests that the ICC is expected to reject the PCB’s demand.
The PCB has accused Pycroft of violating the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC’s Spirit of Cricket guidelines, stating in an official complaint that his actions enabled what they see as unsportsmanlike behaviour from the Indian team. However, insiders suggest that ICC officials view this request as lacking merit, especially since shaking hands is not a mandatory act under ICC or MCC regulations. It is generally considered a gesture of goodwill, but not a rule-bound requirement.