Pakistan were dealt a major blow in the ongoing ‘handshake’ row as Andy Pycroft will remain the match referee for their Asia Cup 2025 clash against UAE on Wednesday. Pycroft found himself in the middle of the controversy when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused him of playing a major part in the row. PCB were left fuming when India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha during their Group A match. The Pakistan cricket governing body went on to ask for Pycroft’s removal from the panel of match referees for Asia Cup 2025 and even reportedly threatened to boycott the UAE game if their request was not granted. However, the ICC rejected their request and Pycroft is all set to remain as the match referee for the said game.
Earlier, Pakistan decided to skip the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. Sources have confirmed, the decision was taken because Pycroft was not removed by the ICC on their request.
According to a report by PTI, the PCB is awaiting clearance from Islamabad before taking any call over their match against UAE. The report said that PCB is still trying to convince ICC to allow Richie Richardson to replace Pycroft as the match referee for the UAE match.
While the Pakistan team decided to skip the press conference, the players did arrive for their practice session. “They want to keep cards close to the chest and not answer any questions about boycott,” a PCB insider, aware of developments, told PTI.
The match is a must-win for Pakistan as their hopes of reaching the Asia Cup Super Four stage hangs in balance. Both Pakistan and UAE have won one match each in the competition and the winner of their game will qualify for the next round.
Pakistan started their campaign with a huge win over Oman but a crushing defeat against India severely impacted their qualification chances.