Andy Pycroft stayed as the match referee for Pakistan and United Arab Emirates in Match 10 of Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, September 17. There has been quite a lot of controversy surrounding the former Zimbabwean player with respect to the recent India-Pakistan encounter on Sunday, September 14.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently made its stance clear that Pycroft did not commit any wrongdoing as the referee after the PCB accused him of violating
MCC's laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket since he requested the captains to not shake hands after tosss after the toss.
The ICC earlier confirmed that Pycroft handled the situation well and prevented an embarrassing situation. The global administrative body clarified that the decision to appoint referees and match officials lies with it and changing them under pressure would set to a bad precedent.
Speaking of the current match, Pakistanhave been put in to bat first. It is a do-or-die encounter for both teams as India have already qualified for the Super Four from Group A. Both Pakistan and UAE have defeated Oman in the tournament but have lost convincingly to India.
The winner of the ongoing match, which started around an hour from its scheduled time of commencement, will qualify for the next stage while the loser will be eliminated. There were earlier reports which stated that Pakistan might withdraw from the match and the tournament.
Saim Ayub (0 off 2) departed for his third duck of the tournament. The left-handed batter was dismissed on the first ball in both of Pakistan's first two matches against Oman and India. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan (5 off 12) followed suit. Both the batters got dismissed by the right-arm pace of Junaid Siddique.
