DUBAI: The ICC on Tuesday rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the panel of officials for the ongoing Asia Cup.
The PCB had filed a complaint with the ICC alleging that Pycroft asked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav at the time of toss in their Asia Cup match on Sunday.
“Late last night, ICC had sent a reply to PCB stating that Pycroft won’t be removed and their plea has been rejected,” an ICC source told PTI.
The 69-year-old Zimbabwean is due to officiate Pakistan’s final group stage game against the UAE on Wednesday.
Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema had also filed a complaint with the Asian Cricket Council alleging that it was on Pycroft’s insistence that team sheets weren’t exchanged between the two skippers on Sunday as is the norm.
Pycroft is one of the senior-most match referees in ICC Elite Panel with 695 international games to his credit (men and women across three formats).
It is reliably learnt that the situation arose due to PCB’s Director of Cricket Operations Usman Walha, who didn’t apprise his own skipper about the rules and regulations that are to be followed during the tournament.