Former Pakistan international and PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja, made explosive allegations against ICC match referee Andy Pycroft. He labelled the ICC official as India’s ‘permanent fixer’ and suggested the deliberate assignment of the man to India matches. The claims, which surfaced on social media, alleged that Pycroft provides unfair advantages to the Indian team during international fixtures.
However, a closer examination of both ICC protocols and statistical evidence reveals these accusations to be flawed and a serious fabrication of reality. His allegations came in the aftermath of the controversial handshake row in the Asia Cup 2025 that dominated the headlines in the recent past. This suggests that the claims were reactive rather than factual.
In the controversial statement, Raja declared, “Andy Pyrcroft is the favorite of Team India…. I think he is a permanent fixer for them. This blatant, one-sided, and it should not happen on a neutral platform.”
Role reality check
Raja’s allegations collapse at the very basic level. Match referees don’t have any kind of power to fix outcomes in any meaningful way. Unlike the on-field officials who make crucial decisions about dismissals, boundaries, and no-balls that directly have an impact on match results, referees operate entirely off-field throughout the contest.
The responsibilities of a match referee in cricket are strictly limited to enforcing the ICC Code of Conduct, handling disciplinary matters, managing player behavior issues, and filing post-match reports. They have zero involvement in decisions that can impact the outcome of a game.
Truth behind match referee appointments
ICC appointment protocols of match officials prohibit referees from officiating in games involving their home country. More importantly, teams have no say in who officiates in their games; the appointments are exclusively made by the ICC to ensure neutrality. The suggestion that Pycroft’s appearance in India matches is deliberate, contradicts the established governance structure.
The numbers that matter
Matches officiated by Andy Pycroft (by country)
Team |
Matches |
| South Africa | 135 |
| Sri Lanka | 132 |
| India | 124 |
| England | 107 |
| Pakistan | 102 |
| Bangladesh | 83 |
| Australia | 80 |
| New Zealand | 78 |
| West Indies | 76 |
India ranks third on Pycroft’s assignment list, trailing both South Africa and Sri Lanka by significant margins. The distribution of games by teams directly reflects the assignment realities, which undermines the claims of systematic favoritism. Also, the numbers point out the fact that Raja was speaking without any evidence, as he claimed Pycroft has officiated in 90 games involving India, while the real number is quite different.