ICC Humiliates Pakistan After Asia Cup 2025 Defeat Against India
ICC set to reject PCB’s demand to remove referee Andy Pycroft after India-Pakistan handshake controversy.
The International Cricket Council is set to turn down Pakistan’s demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup 2025.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had accused the senior official of being involved in the handshake row that followed their loss to India.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, the ICC believes Pycroft had “very little role” in the entire controversy and will continue in his duties.
This comes as another blow for Pakistan, who were already reeling from their seven-wicket defeat to India in Abu Dhabi.
The PCB claimed that Pycroft told captain Agha Salman at the toss not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav.
Pakistan argued this was against the spirit of cricket and demanded his immediate removal. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi even alleged that the referee’s actions breached the ICC Code of Conduct.
Adding more heat, reports on September 15 suggested Pakistan were threatening to boycott their upcoming Group A clash with the UAE if the ICC did not act. Such a move could see them crash out of the tournament early.
The controversy erupted after the India-Pakistan game when Indian players walked off without shaking hands. Suryakumar later said the gesture was skipped on purpose and dedicated the win to the Indian Armed Forces.
With the ICC standing by Pycroft, Pakistan now face the tough choice of either playing their UAE game or risking elimination with a boycott.
