ICC Likely to Reject PCB Request to Remove Andy Pycroft, PCB Might Boycott UAE: Reports
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to remove Andy Pycroft from the match referees for the Asia Cup. They said he was involved in the handshake controversy and seemed to favour India over Pakistan. But the ICC is not likely to accept this request.
According to Cricbuzz, the ICC does not agree with the PCB. They feel Pycroft had little or nothing to do with the incident. He only passed a message from the Indian team to Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, to avoid embarrassment at the toss in the India vs Pakistan match. Salman did not seem upset during the toss. But after Suryakumar Yadav and the others refused to shake hands after the game, he chose not to attend the post-match interview.
Officials feel that accepting the PCB’s demand would be wrong as it could let a board influence match official appointments without a strong reason. The issue started after the Asia Cup game on September 14 in Dubai, when Indian players did not shake hands with the Pakistan team. According to the MCC rules, handshakes before or after matches are not required and the ICC is likely to point this out in its reply to the PCB. The situation has become more serious because Pakistan has reportedly threatened to skip their next match against the UAE on September 17 if their demand is not met and Pycroft is the referee for that game.
Controversy Adds Drama to Group A Standings
The Asia Cup is facing some uncertainty, but the ICC says a match referee can’t be changed just because one board asks for it without a good reason. Naqvi said on social media that the PCB complained, saying the referee broke the rules and wants him removed from the tournament.
“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.
Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has not seen much support for his demand. The ICC decides on match officials together with the local governing body, here the ACC, but it is very unlikely they will take the PCB’s request seriously. Interestingly, the PCB hasn’t contacted the MCC, who are the guardians of cricket’s laws. Instead, they raised the issue under the “Spirit of Cricket,” without any formal communication with the MCC.
Reports said that Pakistan might skip their match against the UAE if their demand isn’t met. But this came before the UAE beat Oman in their second Asia Cup game. Right now, Pakistan and the UAE are fighting for the second Super Four spot from Group A, while India has already qualified after beating both teams. It will be interesting to see if the PCB and Naqvi actually go through with skipping this important match, which would mean Pakistan could be out of the Asia Cup in the group stage itself.
