Asia Cup 2025: PCB Confirms Participation, Richie Richardson to Referee Pakistan vs UAE

After days of back-and-forth, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dropped its threat to pull out and will play their last Asia Cup group match against UAE on Wednesday. As per PCB sources, a middle-ground deal was made match referee Andy Pycroft won’t handle Pakistan’s games anymore, and Richie Richardson will take charge in their must-win match.

After Sunday’s defeat, the Indian players chose not to shake hands with the Pakistan team, as a mark of respect for the 26 people who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack. In response, the PCB asked the ICC to remove match referee Andy Pycroft, claiming he had broken the rules. However, the ICC turned down the request. What stood out was that the rejection letter was signed by ICC’s general manager Waseem Khan, who once served as the CEO of the PCB.

Richie Richardson to Officiate Pakistan vs UAE Match

According to PTI, the PCB and ICC have found a middle-ground solution over Andy Pycroft. For Wednesday’s Pakistan vs UAE match, Richie Richardson will act as the match referee instead of Pycroft, who was originally assigned Earlier reports had also suggested that the PCB was planning a meeting on Tuesday night to decide its next move in the Asia Cup. The board was said to be waiting for chairman Mohsin Naqvi to return from Islamabad to Lahore after meeting government officials about Pakistan’s participation in the tournament.

“As a minister in the Pakistan government, Naqvi’s visit to Islamabad should have been a routine one, but it is learnt that this visit was to discuss the handshake controversy, its implications and the standoff with the ICC over Pycroft, who is the designated match referee for Wednesday’s game,” the report states.

Reports say PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi even checked with the government before giving the green light, as pulling out could have cost the board almost USD 16 million. Adding to the drama, the press conference planned before the UAE match was called off barely an hour before the team’s training.

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