Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet received an official response from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body is unlikely to grant the PCB’s request to have the match referee removed during the 2025 Asia Cup. After the contentious handshake incident during India vs. Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had asked for Andy Pycroft to be replaced on the referee panel.
According to sources, there aren’t enough reasons to support the PCB’s plea, and the ICC will likely respond shortly. The governing body’s general opinion, according to Cricbuzz, is that Pycroft was only partially responsible for the incident and that he just told the Pakistani captain to avoid the humiliation that would result from one captain not shaking hands with the other at the toss.
According to officials, granting the PCB’s request would create a bad precedent by giving a member board the ability to sway match official appointments without compelling evidence. Indian players did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts following the Asia Cup league game on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium, which is the source of the issue.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) handbook states that handshakes are not required before or after games. The ICC is probably going to highlight this in its official response to the PCB. According to sources, Pakistan has vowed to boycott their forthcoming match against the United Arab Emirates on September 17 if their demand is not fulfilled, which has intensified the situation. Interestingly, Pycroft is assigned to officiate that match.
Although the ICC’s prevailing position that match officials cannot be replaced at the request of a single member board without good reason is still in place, the impasse adds uncertainty to the Asia Cup.
“The PCB has complained to the ICC about the Match Referee’s infringement of the MCC Laws related to the Spirit of Cricket and the ICC Code of Conduct. In an Instagram post, Naqvi stated, “The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup.”
Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has made the demand, but it hasn’t really taken off. Even though the ICC consults with the local governing body—in this example, the ACC—when appointing match officials, it is extremely doubtful that the ICC will give the suggestion any real consideration.
It’s interesting that the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), who are in charge of upholding cricket’s regulations, have not received any direct communication from the PCB. Rather, the board has brought up the issue under the guise of the “Spirit of Cricket,” but it doesn’t seem like the MCC has been formally notified of the situation.
Although handshakes are recommended as a show of respect, they are not required, as stated in the MCC’s Spirit of Cricket preamble. Although it is emphasised in the preamble, cricket’s binding laws do not include the need to be courteous to officials and opponents regardless of the outcome.
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