The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is allegedly ready to remove Andy Picroft as the ongoing Asia Cup is a match referee from all Pakistan matches in 2025.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently lodged a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC), and demanded immediate removal of Andy Picroft from the remaining part of the Asia Cup.
Pycroft “requested the captain not to put his hand on the toss” – report
A day after the match between India and Pakistan, this demand was seen by the ‘No Handshek’ episode. The PCB alleged that Pycroft “requested the captain not to put his hand on the toss”. Indian players avoided customary handshake even after the match.
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After hitting the winning run, Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dubey went straight to the dressing room. Pakistan players appeared to be walking towards the Indian dugout, but returned empty -handed. In response, Pakistan captain Salman Ali did not appear at the performance ceremony after the Aga match.
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After the match, the PCB decided to pursue the case and filed a complaint against Andy Pikeroft. Taking X in X, PCB President Mohsin Naqvi wrote: “PCB has filed a complaint with ICC about the MCC laws related to the match referee of ICC Code of Conduct and MCC laws related to the spirit of cricket. The PCB has demanded immediate removal of the match referee from the Asia Cup.”
The PCB accused the match referee of violating MCC laws, stating that his action was against the spirit of cricket. The reports also said that Pakistan had threatened to withdraw from the tournament whether Andy Pycroft was not removed.
Andy Picroft Pakistan not to work in matches:
While Andy Pycroft has not been removed as a match referee for the remaining Asia Cup, it has been reportedly removed from Pakistan’s matches. He and Richie Richardson are two matches for the tournament. According to reports, Pycroft has been scheduled to join Pakistan’s last group game against the UAE, but according to the report, to be replaced by Richardson.
The report states that while the PCB wants Picroft to be completely removed, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the ICC are working to find a middle ground. ACC is making proposals to consultation and PCB. The ACC is searching for all options to ensure that the dispute does not take care of the tournament.
One of the suggestions under consideration is to keep Pycroft as a part of the referee panel, but it will not look after Pakistan’s matches. If all parties agree, Richardson will be a match referee for all matches related to Pakistan.
