Hours Before Do-or-Die Match vs UAE, Pakistan Sends Second Letter to ICC
PCB escalates its protest against match referee Andy Pycroft with a second letter to ICC ahead of their must-win Asia Cup 2025 clash vs UAE, demanding his immediate removal.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has turned up the heat on the Andy Pycroft controversy by firing off a second letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) late Tuesday night, just hours before their crunch Asia Cup 2025 game against the UAE in Dubai.
PCB insists Pycroft showed bias during their defeat to India on September 14 and have once again demanded his immediate removal as match referee. They have also suggested Richie Richardson as a replacement.
“We have sent another letter to the ICC. We are not pleased with the response. All the aspects were not reviewed. The ICC’s reply was just a formality. Our stand is firm. Andy Pycroft cannot be the match referee,” a PCB source told Hindustan Times.
According to a report in Dawn, a senior PCB official even alleged that Pycroft was “acting at the behest of the BCCI” during the India clash, a claim reportedly voiced by team director Naveed Akram Cheema in his discussion with tournament officials.
The controversy has escalated ahead of Pakistan’s must-win game against UAE. Both sides are locked on two points in Group A, making today’s contest virtually a knockout.
