The ICC on Tuesday turned down Pakistan's demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the panel of officials for the Asia Cup despite the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly threatening to pull out of the tournament after blaming Pycroft for the "no-handshake" row.
The PCB had filed a complaint with the ICC, alleging that Pycroft had asked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav at the time of toss in Sunday’s match.
"Late on Monday night, the ICC had sent a reply to the PCB, stating that Pycroft won't be removed and their plea has been rejected," said an ICC official. Pycroft will be officiating in Pakistan's final group stage match against the UAE on Wednesday.
Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema had also complained to the Asian Cricket Council, claiming that it was on Pycroft's call that team sheets were not exchanged between the two skippers against the norms. Pycroft is one of the seniormost match referees in the ICC Elite Panel with 695 men and women international games to his credit across three formats.
Also read: PCB seeks ICC intervention, wants Pycroft removed
It is learnt that the situation could have been avoided had the PCB's Director of Cricket Operations, Usman Walha, apprised his own skipper about the rules and regulations that are to be followed during the tournament. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the current chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), ordered the sacking of Walha on Monday for the embarrassment caused to the national cricket team and its captain.
With Walha not discharging his responsibility of informing Salman about the "no handshake" policy, the Pakistan captain was apparently caught unawares by what transpired. "Walha should have released a statement at the toss itself when the two captains didn't shake hands. Naqvi apparently was furious as he handled it poorly," a PCB official said.
With its demand having been rejected, it remains to be seen whether the PCB will go ahead with its threat of pulling out of the tournament. It is reliably learnt that the PCB is trying to work out a respectable solution, going by which Pycroft will not officiate in Pakistan’s matches. According to one proposal made by the PCB, Richie Richardson should replace Pycroft in the match against the UAE, but whether the ICC agrees to it or not remains uncertain.
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