On Tuesday, sources said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will announce its Asia Cup stance within hours.
The cricket board is still demanding the replacement of match referee Andy Pycroft after the disputed India-Pakistan match in Dubai, sources said. According to reports, Dubai team management has not been informed of any ICC decision.
Pakistan may withdraw from the competition if its demand is not met, sources said. Indian media sites said that the ICC denied the PCB’s appeal, citing emails from the ICC’s operations or legal department claiming the referee had no role in Sunday’s high-voltage match in Dubai’s post-match handshake dispute.
These allegations have not been addressed by the ICC or PCB. India beat Pakistan by seven wickets after restricting them to 127-9 and chasing the score in 16 overs.
After scoring a six, Suryakumar Yadav hugged and shook Shivam Dube before going to the changing room. Indian players did not shake hands with Pakistani players. Pakistani players waited for their opponents, but India closed the dressing room.
An earlier incident during the toss saw Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India’s captain not shake hands. Head coach Mike Hesson faced the media after Salman skipped the post-match presentation ceremony.
We were ready to shake hands after the game. We were disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that. We went over there, but they were already heading to the dressing room,” Hesson said.
“It was a disappointing game ending. We were unhappy with our performance but willing to shake hands, he said.
Hisson said Salman’s absence was a result of the controversy: “I think it was just a flow-on effect. We wanted to shake hands at the conclusion, but it didn’t happen, and that was that.”
The PCB formally complained to the ICC and MCC, demanding Pycroft’s removal as match referee.
PCB noted, “No handshakes were exchanged before or after the match, which is a direct violation of cricket’s spirit and long-standing traditions.” The letter claimed Pycroft “failed to fulfil his responsibilities as match referee” and violated the ICC Code of Conduct.
Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also leads the ACC, defended the PCB on social networking platform X.
“The PCB has complained to the ICC about the match referee’s ICC Code of Conduct and MCC law violations. The match referee acted against the spirit of cricket. We have demanded the immediate removal of Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup,” Naqvi stated.
The PCB also alleged that tournament officials had been acting under instructions originating from the Indian board and, ultimately, the Indian government.
Pakistan’s media manager, Naveed Akram Cheema, reportedly raised the issue with Tournament Director Andrew Russell, who initially attributed the directives to the Indian board but later clarified that they had, in fact, come from government authorities.
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