September 17, 2025

The Asia Cup 2023 is heating up not just on the field but off it too! The International Cricket Council (ICC) has firmly said NO to Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) fiery demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft. What's the twist? PCB accused Pycroft of telling Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav during their match's toss 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 revealed to PTI. That means Pycroft, the 69-year-old Zimbabwean referee with a whopping 695 international games under his belt, will keep managing the games. He is even set to officiate Pakistan's next group match against the UAE on Wednesday. Adding fuel to the fire, Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema complained to the Asian Cricket Council. He said that Pycroft insisted no team sheets were exchanged between the two captains – breaking the usual tradition. Talk about tension! But wait, there's more drama behind the scenes. Pakistan's Director of Cricket Operations, Usman Walha, apparently goofed big time. Sources say he failed to tell Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha about the tournament's strict “No Handshake” rule. The skipper seemed totally surprised by it! PCB's big boss Mohsin Naqvi, also chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, got furious and fired Walha on Monday for this embarrassing slip-up. PCB wanted Pycroft kicked out of the whole Asia Cup, but ICC, which is led by India's Jay Shah, slammed the door on this demand. Now the big question looms: will Pakistan continue playing if Pycroft remains on duty? Here’s some inside info: PCB is trying to find a clever way to avoid Pycroft officiating in their matches. One idea floating around is to have Richie Richardson replace Pycroft for the game against UAE. But whether this will happen is still a big mystery. Hold on tight, cricket fans! The Asia Cup drama is far from over, both on and off the pitch.

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Tags: Pakistan cricket board, Andy pycroft, Asia cup 2023, Icc, Salman ali agha, Suryakumar yadav,