Amid the high drama of Pakistan cricket team allegedly threatening to pull out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, a former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman made a stunning claim that ICC match referee Andy Pycroft is deliberately assigned India matches. His statement indicated that the Zimbabwean’s presence ensures unfair advantage to the Indian cricket team.
So why did someone of Raja’s stature make such claims?
It has to do with the handshake row that has consumed Pakistan cricket. The Indian team, in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of Pahalgam terror attack, didn’t interact with the Pakistan cricket team during their recent Asia Cup match in Dubai. The team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, didn’t shake hands with their opponents
– before or after the match – as is the custom.
An irked PCB lashed out at India’s “unsportsmanlike” behaviour. However, the board seemed more concerned with the match referee Pycroft’s conduct.
PCB released a statement claiming Pycroft instructed the two captains at the toss not to shake hands and this, they claim, is in violation of MCC rules that govern cricket. They lodged a complaint with the ICC demanding that the referee be removed from the remainder of their matches in the Asia Cup.
However, the governing body responded that Pycroft didn’t breach any code of conduct and that he will continue into the role. A disappointed PCB then contemplated pulling out from the Asia Cup and delayed the departure of their team from the hotel for a do-or-die Group A clash with UAE on Wednesday.
Discussions At PCB Headquarters
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi held discussions with former chairs Najam Sethi, Raja and others at the PCB headquarters in Lahore and later asked the team to leave for the venue with the match starting after being delayed for an hour. PCB claimed that Pycroft has apologised and ICC has agreed to investigate the referee’s conduct.
During a press conference after the discussion, Raja then made the remarks linking Pycroft to the Indian team.
“Andy Pycroft is the favourite of Team India…. I think he is a permanent fixer for them. 90 times he has been the referee during India matches. This is blatant and one-sided, and it should not happen on a neutral platform,” Raja claimed.
Busting Raja’s Claim
A cursory glance at the stats throws Raja’s claim out of the window, for good.
Pycroft, a former Zimbabwe cricketer, began his career as a match referee in 2009 and has since officiated in 536 matches across formats.
Here’s a breakdown of the top five teams he’s been involved as referee most number of times (till September 17)
| Teams | Matches |
| South Africa | 135 |
| Sri Lanka | 132 |
| India | 124 |
| England | 107 |
| Pakistan | 102 |
India rank third in this list after South Africa and Sri Lanka. Pycroft has been the referee in 102 matches involving Pakistan as well. Clearly, Raja didn’t check his facts before making the ’90 matches’ claim with utmost confidence.
