Despite repeated requests from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to remove Andy Pycroft from the roster, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has once again named him as the Elite Panel Referee for Sunday’s high-stakes India-Pakistan Asia Cup Super 4s encounter.
“Andy Pycroft is the match referee for the Indo-Pak game,” a tournament source told PTI.
The match officials’ list for Sunday’s game is still under wraps. The tournament’s other match referee is Richie Richardson, a former captain of the West Indies.
Pycroft officiated the game last Sunday when the Indian squad allegedly refused to shake hands with the Pakistani team due to a policy decision. After India captain Suryakumar Yadav reportedly broke the norm during the toss, the Zimbabwean official was thrust into the center of the controversy.
In two emails, the Pakistani team asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to remove Pycroft from their matches and to remove him from the competition. The ICC firmly supported its Elite Panel referee and categorically denied both pleas.
The ICC denied the PCB’s allegations that Pycroft had broken the “Spirit of the Game” policy, stating that he was only a messenger who relayed information to him from the Asian Cricket Council’s appointed Venue Manager. With just a few minutes remaining before the match started, ICC officials said Pycroft could only relay the message.
The ICC later facilitated a meeting between Pycroft and Pakistan’s team management — captain Salman, head coach Mike Hesson, and manager Naveed Akram Cheema — during which Pycroft expressed “regret over the miscommunication.”
In another email, the ICC noted that Pycroft never expressed regret for the misunderstanding, merely “regretting the miscommunication.” The ICC also accused the PCB of breaking rules pertaining to the “Players and Match Officials Area” (PMOA), which the PCB refuted.
Given this, Pycroft’s appointment for another Indo-Pak encounter is a blatant sign that the international organization is unwilling to change its stance, as dismissing the former Zimbabwe Test batsman would have supposedly set a wrong precedent.
