The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it is unable to withdraw match referee Andy Pycroft from the panel of match referees for the ongoing Asia Cup because its investigation revealed no fault on his side.
This entire incident began when the PCB filed an official complaint with the ICC to penalise and remove Pycroft from the panel of match referees after members of the Indian team refused to shake hands during the toss and after the recent play on Sunday, September 14.
According to, the ICC has informed the PCB that the match referee did nothing wrong. The ICC statement recognised that the world administrative body conducted its own investigation and concluded that Pycroft had assisted Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha avoid humiliation by telling them not to shake hands after the toss.
Contrary to several reports, the ICC stated that Andy Pycroft’s judgement did not break any match protocol.
The body also acknowledged that the PCB was well within its rights to complain. However, they concluded that Pycroft was not to blame. It further stated that the appointment of match officials is a decision made centrally by the ICC and cannot be determined or influenced by its member boards.
The ICC made it plain that breaking the rules under pressure may have created a bad precedent. Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB’s chairperson, declared on social media that the board had authorised the team to proceed to the venue following earlier claims that the team will not play against hosts United Arab Emirates on Thursday, September 17.
Pycroft, who eventually stayed on as referee for the Pakistan-UAE match, apologised to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, coach Mike Hesson, and team manager Naveed Cheema in a meeting at the Dubai International Stadium for the no-handshake incident, calling it “miscommunication.”
“ICC’s controversial match referee Andy Pycroft has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistani cricket team,” the board stated in a press release.
“Andy Pycroft forbade the captains of both teams from shaking hands during the India-Pakistan match. The Pakistan Cricket Board had a strong reaction to Andy Pycroft’s actions.
“Andy Pycroft apologised for the September 14 incident, which he described as the product of miscommunication. The ICC has stated that it is ready to investigate the Code of Conduct infringement that occurred during the match on September 14.
India
