ICC rejects Pakistan’s appeal; appoints Andy Pycroft as the match-referee for India-Pak Super-4 tie
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Pakistan’s appeal to remove Andy Pycroft from the ‘match-referee’ chair for the forthcoming Super-4 stage match on Sunday in the ongoing Asia Cup. According to a report from PTI, Andy Pycroft is going to be again the ‘match-referee’ for the forthcoming Super-4 stage match between India and Pakistan on Sunday. The handshake controversy in the India-Pakistan group league match on 14th September rocked the cricket fraternity as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made repeated appeals to the ICC to dismiss Pycroft from match-referee’s chair in the tournament and also urged for an investigation against Pycroft’s alleged violation of the Code of Conduct. The issue had started when the Indian team refused to shake hands with the Pakistani team after their clash on 14th September. Since then, a lot has been said. The PAK team threated to pull out from the UAE match if referee Andy Pycroft was not removed. Later, Pycroft was made to issue an apology. On Thursday, it had emerged that ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta had fired an email to the PCB, over the Andy Pycroft meeting. The Pakistan team manager had recorded the meeting, and ICC had cited PMOA violations for the same.
ICC not to remove Pycroft from Asia Cup: Will Pakistan withdraw from UAE match?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it will not accept PCB’s demand to remove match-referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup. The controversy has escalated, as Cricbuzz reports that the PCB is considering instructing the Pakistan team to withdraw from their next match against UAE in protest over the ICC’s decision. Such a move would eliminate Pakistan from the tournament, as they and the UAE are vying for the second Super Four spot from Group A. India has already advanced by defeating both the UAE and Pakistan. The PCB complained to the ACC and ICC, stating that Pycroft had little to no involvement in the incident. According to the PCB, he only relayed the Indian team’s message to Pakistan captain, Salman Ali Agha, in order to avoid embarrassment at the toss for the India-Pakistan match. Salman didn’t look upset at toss time. But after Suryakumar Yadav and his mates refused to shake hands after the game, he refused to turn up for the post-match interview. “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,” Naqvi had written to ICC. It will be fascinating to see whether PCB and Naqvi have the guts to pull out of what is a virtual knockout match. This would mean that Pakistan will be eliminated from the Asia Cup in the group stage itself.