The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly rejected Pakistan’s demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft following the handshaking controversy between the Indian and Pakistani teams in the ongoing Asia Cup.
As per Geo News, the Indian cricket website has claimed that the ICC has rejected Pakistan’s request to remove referee Andy Pyecroft from the Pakistan-India match. According to the Indian website, the ICC had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board last night.
Earlier, Pakistan had demanded the removal of ICC Comech referee Pycroft from the Asia Cup over the handshake issue.
The PCB had accused Pycroft of violating the ICC Code of Conduct and the Spirit of Cricket during Pakistan’s group-stage clash against India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), publicly demanded Pycroft’s removal, calling it a breach of cricketing protocol.
The controversy erupted during the toss on September 14, when Pycroft reportedly told Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with India’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav. This angered the PCB, which saw the move as biased.
However, the ICC allegedly clarified that Pycroft was simply following ACC officials’ instructions. The council had decided there would be no handshakes at the toss, and Pycroft was only relaying that directive. As per sources, ICC dismissed the suggestion that Pycroft acted on India’s behalf.
