The Asia Cup match between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was delayed by an hour on Wednesday, due to a dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding match referee Andy Pycroft. The PCB had requested Pycroft's removal after he allegedly instructed the captains of India and Pakistan not to shake hands during their match on September 14. The PCB claimed this action violated the laws of the game.
The PCB's request to remove Pycroft was denied by the ICC, leading to a deadlock. As a result, the Pakistan team remained at their hotel, and did not travel to the stadium at the scheduled time. Some reports even suggested that the PCB was considering pulling out of the Asia Cup altogether. The Asian Cricket Council also deleted social media posts about the match, further fueling speculation of a potential boycott.
Eventually, after hours of negotiations, the match began an hour late. The PCB issued a statement claiming that Pycroft had apologized for the "no-handshake" incident, attributing it to "miscommunication". The PCB also stated that the ICC had agreed to investigate the matter. However, ICC sources clarified that Pycroft only apologized for the miscommunication, and not for the incident itself. According to sources, Pycroft was simply relaying a message from the Asian Cricket Council's venue manager to the captains.
Despite the PCB's efforts to have him removed, Pycroft remained the match referee for the Pakistan-UAE game. A video surfaced of Pycroft supposedly apologizing to Pakistan's coach and captain. Exchanges between Pycroft and Pakistan's captain, Salman Ali Agha, at the toss were minimal.
Sources within the Indian cricket board suggest that the PCB's actions were aimed at creating a controversy with the ICC, potentially to appease their domestic audience. It was also noted that the PCB did not provide supporting documents to back their complaint against Pycroft. An ICC source stated that the PCB "held an international tournament hostage".
The incident sparked outrage, with critics labeling the PCB's behavior as "childish" and accusing them of "holding people to ransom". Despite the drama, Pakistan won the match against the UAE.
