{"id":19312,"date":"2025-09-16T15:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=19312"},"modified":"2025-09-16T15:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:04:09","slug":"icc-rejects-pcbs-complaint-against-pycroft-amid-handshake-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=19312","title":{"rendered":"ICC rejects PCB\u2019s complaint against Pycroft amid handshake row"},"content":{"rendered":"
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly turned down the Pakistan Cricket Board\u2019s (PCB) request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup, following controversy during the high-voltage clash between Pakistan and India in Dubai.<\/p>\n

According to Indian media, the PCB had filed a complaint accusing Pycroft of breaching the \u201cSpirit of Cricket\u201d by allegedly instructing the two captains not to shake hands at the toss before Sunday\u2019s game. The matter gained further traction after the Indian team also skipped the customary handshakes at the end of the match, sparking tensions off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cLate last night, ICC had sent a reply to PCB stating that Pycroft won\u2019t be removed and their plea has been rejected,\u201d a source told Press Trust of India.<\/p>\n

However, Cricbuzz reported that the PCB denied receiving any official response from the ICC, leaving the matter in uncertainty. The board has yet to release a formal statement on the issue.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a report in The Times of India suggested that the directive regarding the handshake came not from Pycroft himself but from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officials present on the ground. It remains unclear whether an official \u201cno-handshake\u201d policy had been introduced for the fixture.<\/p>\n

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, in his earlier remarks, accused the referee of violating both the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC\u2019s Laws related to the Spirit of Cricket, though he refrained from naming Pycroft directly.<\/p>\n

Despite speculation, reports indicate that Pakistan is unlikely to withdraw from the tournament. The ACC has already confirmed that Pycroft will continue in his role, with the Zimbabwean official scheduled to oversee Pakistan\u2019s upcoming group-stage clash against the UAE.<\/p>\n

The incident has added another layer of drama to an already tense Asia Cup, as cricket once again finds itself caught in the middle of broader political sensitivities between India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Disciplinary action<\/p>\n

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is considering disciplinary action against the Indian team after their players avoided shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts after the Asia Cup clash in Dubai. A final decision will be taken after reviewing all related incidents, with fines on Indian players being a likely outcome.<\/p>\n

After the match, Indian players refused to exchange handshakes with Pakistanis, while at the toss the captains also refrained from the customary gesture. Pakistan\u2019s head coach Mike Hesson strongly criticized the behavior, terming it against the spirit of the game.<\/p>\n

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav further stirred controversy by linking the team\u2019s victory to political statements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand with the victims of the Pahalgam attack and their families. We dedicate today\u2019s win to our armed forces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In response, Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a formal protest with the match referee, calling the incident \u201ca violation of sportsmanship.\u201d He also revealed that it was the referee who had requested the captains not to shake hands at the toss.<\/p>\n

In protest, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha did not attend the post-match presentation ceremony.<\/p>\n

Coach Hesson defended the reaction of the Pakistan camp, stating: \u201cWhat the Indian team did was inappropriate. Pakistan\u2019s response was natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy has now drawn the attention of the ACC, which is weighing possible disciplinary action against the Indian team.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly turned down the Pakistan Cricket Board\u2019s (PCB) request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup, following controversy during the high-voltage clash between Pakistan and India in Dubai. According to Indian media, the PCB had filed a complaint accusing Pycroft of breaching the \u201cSpirit of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}