In a significant setback to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected its request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft over his actions in the ‘no handshake controversy’ during the Asia Cup 2025 match against India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), had sought urgent removal of Pycroft over his ‘no handshake’ message to Pakistan captain Salman Agha during the toss in the India match.
“The PCB has complained to the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws about the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup,” Naqvi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“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 news agency PTI.
The 69-year-old Zimbabwean is due to officiate Pakistan’s final group stage game against the UAE on Wednesday. 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.
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Pycroft is one of the senior-most match referees in the ICC Elite Panel, with 695 international games to his credit (across men’s and women’s matches in three formats). It is reliably reported that the situation arose due to PCB’s Director of Cricket Operations, Usman Walha, who failed to inform his own skipper about the rules and regulations to be followed during the tournament.
It is learnt that an irate PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the current chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, ordered the sacking of Walha on Monday for the embarrassment caused to the national cricket team and its captain. According to well-placed sources, it was Walha’s duty to inform Salman about the “No Handshake” policy, but he didn’t do so, and the Pakistan skipper was apparently blindsided.
🚨 BREAKING: ICC has officially 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 PCB’s demand to replace match referee Andy Pycroft at the ongoing #AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/gO1uYQT4X1
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) September 16, 2025
The PCB had wanted Pycroft to be removed from the entire tournament. Still, it would be interesting to see if they continue playing after the ICC, headed by India’s Jay Shah, summarily rejected their demand. It is understood that PCB is trying to work out a respectable solution by which Pycroft doesn’t officiate in their matches.
One proposal given by the PCB is to have Richie Richardson stand in its match against the UAE on Wednesday, but whether that would happen or not is the big question. It was also reported that the PCB has threatened to boycott their next game, against the UAE on September 17, if Pycroft was not removed from the referee panel over the no-handshake controversy. The pull-out threat was reported by Pakistani media, but did not appear in any official PCB channels.
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It is yet to be ascertained what step the PCB now plans to take, as the top cricket body has rejected the request for Pycroft’s removal. Pakistan, with just one win in two matches, must beat the UAE in their next game to qualify for the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 stage. If Pakistan do manage to beat the UAE, they will also be eligible for the next stage and face India on Sunday.
