The ICC on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the panel of officials for the ongoing Asia Cup despite the PCB’s reported threat of a pullout that would cause heavy financial loss to the country.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had filed a complaint with the ICC alleging that Pycroft asked its captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav at the time of toss in their Asia Cup match on Sunday. “Late last night, ICC had sent a reply to PCB stating that Pycroft won’t be removed and their plea has been rejected,” an ICC source told PTI.
The 69-year-old Zimbabwean is due to officiate Pakistan’s final group stage game against the UAE on Wednesday.
Pakistan cancelled a scheduled pre-match press conference here on Tuesday with team sources saying that it was done to “avoid” questions on the widely reported threat of a pullout.
Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema had also filed a complaint with the Asian Cricket Council alleging that it was on Pycroft’s insistence that team sheets weren’t exchanged between the two skippers on Sunday as is the norm.
After the match that India won by seven wickets, Suryakumar and his men did not exchange handshakes with their cross-border rivals as a mark of respect for the Pahalgam terror attack victims and their families.
