New Delhi: Andy Pycroft will continue officiating as the match referee in the high-voltage India vs Pakistan Super 4 encounter in Asia Cup 2025. The International
Cricket Council (ICC) has once again reassigned Pycroft for the the tense clash between the arch-rivals despite Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB’s) repeated requests to remove him from the continental cup.
A tournament source confirmed this to news agency PTI that the Zimbabwean match referee will be present in the second India-Pakistan encounter which has kept the entire fanbase in the country on its toes. However, the list of the other match officials for Sunday’s game hasn’t been made public yet with just former West Indies skipper Richie Richardson known as the other match referee.
Pakistan at loggerheads with ICC, India
It all started during the India vs Pakistan league encounter last Sunday when the Indian team skipper Suryakumar Yadav refused to do the customary gesture of shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart. Unfortunately, Pycroft found himself in the centre of the controversy after it was learnt that it was his decision that he communicated to both the team captains.
Subsequently, the Pakistan team wrote two mails to ICC, first requesting Pycroft’s removal from the tournament and then asking the global body to remove him from their games. Both the demands were outrightly rejected by the ICC as it stood firmly behind its Elite Panel referee.
The ICC went on to say that the match referee was just a messenger who passed on the information what was conveyed to him from the venue manager of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The global governing body later arranged a meeting between Pycroft and Pakistan team management which included skipper Salman Ali Agha, head coach Mike Hesson and manager Naveed Akram Cheema where he said that he regretted the miscommunication.
The ICC fired another mail to PCB saying that Pycroft never apologised also accusing the Pakistan cricket board of violating the Asia Cup rules. The PCB later sent its response saying that they didn’t violate any of the rule and everything they did was in the rulebook.
