A day after being walloped by India in a group league match of the Asia Cup, Pakistan have turned the heat on match referee Andy Pycroft by demanding his “immediate removal”.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Pycroft had violated the MCC Laws and the ICC’s Code of Conduct after allegedly requesting “the captains not to shake hands at the toss” as is customary.
“The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup,” Mohsin Naqvi, who heads the Asian Cricket Council and is also the chairman of the PCB, said in a social media post on Monday.
This was conveyed via an email addressed to ICC general manager Wasim
Khan, who was earlier the CEO of the PCB.
Sources told The Telegraph that the ICC is set to dismiss PCB’s demand for action against the match referee citing “lack of sufficient ground”.
There is talk that PCB has threatened to pull out of their match against UAE on Wednesday if Pycroft is not removed. However, if they do not play their next match, it could mean the end of the road for Pakistan.
Pycroft, 69, has been at the centre of controversy for allegedly not acting on the PCB’s protest against Team India, who refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players after the match on Sunday.
The former Zimbabwe cricketer is one of the most experienced match referees, having been on the ICC Elite panel since 2009.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav had said after the match that the Indian “government and the BCCI were aligned” on the matter. As a mark of protest, Pakistan captain Salman Agha didn’t attend the post-match presentation, and coach Mike Hesson called India’s decision “disappointing”.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir echoed Surya during a chat with the host broadcasters. “As a team, we wanted to show solidarity to victims of the Pahalgam attack. Thanks to our soldiers for Operation Sindoor,” Gambhir said.
Naqvi had also blasted India for “dragging politics into the game” and lacking “sportsmanship”. Surya made it clear at the press conference that “few things in life were ahead of a sportsman’s spirit”.