Pakistan vs UAE: Andy Pycroft Apologizes for “Miscommunication” During India-Pakistan Toss

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are saying different things about the handshake incident with match referee Andy Pycroft during the India-Pakistan match at the Asia Cup. The PCB said that Pycroft had apologized to their team for stopping the Indian and Pakistani captains from shaking hands at the toss in Dubai on 14 September.

But an ICC source said the apology was only about a “miscommunication” and not the handshake itself, which Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav had avoided. It’s still unclear what the miscommunication was, but it seems to have happened because the two captains skipped the usual handshake at the toss.

Pakistan had first threatened to skip their final Group A match against the UAE after the ICC refused to remove Pycroft as the match referee on Wednesday. But the team changed its mind just a few hours before the toss, causing a one-hour delay before the game started. In the end, Pycroft officiated the match, including the toss, which Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha lost.

ICC Requests More Details Before Deciding on Another Review

The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Zimbabwean referee Andy Pycroft admitted his actions were due to a “miscommunication” and had apologized to the team manager and captain Salman Ali Agha. The PCB wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that, “ICC’s controversial match referee Andy Pycroft has apologized to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Pycroft had stopped the captains of both teams from shaking hands during the India-Pakistan match.”

“This issue has been going on since the match against India. We had concerns about Pycroft’s actions. It was only resolved after he apologized for the miscommunication at the toss,” Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore.

The statement added that the ICC had shown willingness to look into Pakistan’s complaint about a possible “violation of the Code of Conduct.” However, the ICC said it had already reviewed the incident and cleared Pycroft, saying he did not break any match rules.

The ICC has said it will not open a formal investigation into Pakistan’s complaint against Pycroft but has asked Pakistan to provide more details before deciding on another review. The board also reminded Pakistan that appointing match officials is the ICC’s decision alone. Pakistan avoided being knocked out of the tournament by playing Wednesday’s match against the UAE, as only the top two teams from each group move to the Super 4. If Pakistan wins against the UAE, they will face India again on Sunday, September 21, in Dubai.

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