PCB’s Demand to Sack Pycroft Rejected, but Pakistan is All Set to Continue in Asia Cup

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Sept 16: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday officially rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, but Pakistan is all set to take a dramatic U-turn from its threat to boycott the remainder of the tournament risking huge financial losses.

The PCB had earlier warned that it would boycott the upcoming match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) if the match referee, who apparently played a role in the no-handshake saga in the match against India, wasn’t immediately removed. The ICC rejected Pakistan’s request, clarifying its stance on the matter, while also giving a clean chit to Pycroft.

Sources said Pakistan would train on Tuesday evening ahead of their match against UAE on Wednesday. Pakistan will be eliminated from the Asia Cup if they lose to the UAE. As the ICC decision prompted Pakistan’s potential withdrawal from the tournament, the PCB has reportedly taken a U-turn and decided to continue with the tournament. The reason behind the U-turn is a potential sanction from the ICC over withdrawal from the tournament.

“It is very unlikely that the PCB will pull out from the Asia Cup,” a PCB source said. “If we do that, ICC led by Jay Shah will put heavy sanctions on the PCB, and this is something our board cannot afford. The financial situation post the Champions Trophy, where all the stadiums were renovated, is not good.”

With the PCB struggling financially, a long journey in the Asia Cup is quite important for the country’s cricketing ecosystem. In its complaint to the ICC and Asian Cricket Council, the Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema had alleged that it was on Pycroft’s insistence that team sheets weren’t exchanged between the two skippers on Sunday as is the norm.

After the match that India won by seven wickets, Suryakumar and his men did not exchange handshakes with their cross-border rivals as a mark of respect for the Pahalgam terror attack victims and their families. 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).

Media reports claimed 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. The report further said PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the current chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), ordered the sacking of Walha on Monday for the embarrassment caused to the national cricket team and its captain.

It has been established that, Walha played a big role in a fiasco. In fact, it was Walha’s duty to inform Salman about the “No Handshake” policy but he didn’t do so and the Pakistan skipper was apparently caught unawares by the turn of events.

Pakistan’s threat to pull out of the ongoing Asia Cup won’t be easy to execute, as any such move could result in a revenue loss of anywhere between USD 12 to 16 million (Rs 105 crore to Rs 141 crore) for the country. Five Test-playing nations – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan – earn 15 percent each, constituting 75 percent of the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) annual revenue. The remaining 25 percent is shared by Associate nations. The revenue verticals include shares from broadcast deals (linear and digital), various sponsorships, ticketing, and more.

From this Asia Cup alone, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) projected earnings are between USD 12 to 16 million, and any decision to pull out could spell doom for a cricketing body that isn’t as financially robust as the BCCI. Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) inked an eight-year deal (2024-2031) with the ACC for USD 170 million. The deal also includes the broadcast rights for the Women’s Asia Cup and the Under-19 Men’s Asia Cup.

Naqvi, who also holds the post of Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control in Pakistan, is currently the head of the ACC as well. But in his capacity as PCB chief, he has not minced words while lashing out at Pycroft, holding him responsible for the furore triggered by the Indian team’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players after their match on Sunday.

Naqvi, as the head of the ACC, would also have to bear the brunt and face the ire of the official broadcaster, which could refuse to pay the agreed-upon fee. The India-Pakistan match is the biggest revenue generator, and a pullout would potentially mean a huge loss for the broadcaster, which sells advertisement slots for the marquee match at a premium. In all, Naqvi and Pakistan have a lot to lose and very little to gain.

Moments after the ICC rejected PCB’s demand for the removal of Pycroft, the details of their scathing letter to the apex body have been revealed. PCB had accused the ICC-appointed match referee of “misconduct of the highest order” following the Indian team’s no-handshake walkout after beating Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

Indian players did not shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts both before and after Sunday’s match. The two captains did not initiate any handshake at the toss, while Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, who saw India through in the 128-run chase, walked off straight to the dressing room after the match. The Pakistan players were, in fact, kept waiting outside the Indian dressing room, where they had queued up for the customary handshake, only to get no response.

After the Pakistan team manager filed a complaint with the ACC, alleging that Pycroft told the two skippers not to shake hands at the toss and that, in his act, he violated the spirit of the game, the PCB sought the ICC’s intervention, demanding his removal from the panel of referees for the continental tournament.

The PCB accused the Zimbabwean of failing to promote respect and sportsmanship between the two teams, instead creating a negative atmosphere. The letter cited a breach of Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, stating that Pycroft’s actions brought disrepute to the game. The PCB letter to the ICC stated, “It is alarming to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct, which clearly violates the Spirit of Cricket and MCC Laws.

“The match referee failed to discharge his responsibility: to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides; and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise.

“In fact, the Match Referee’s instructions to the two team captains were entirely directed towards achieving the opposite result. This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the Match Referee to conduct himself in a manner, which is contrary to the spirit of game and violates the MCC Laws.

“Given the gravity, political nature/background, and far-reaching consequences and repercussions, the misconduct has also caused disrepute to the game.” The PCB letter added that “we believe the highest level of offence has been committed”.

Earlier on Monday, the Pakistani media reported that PCB had threatened ICC that if their demand isn’t met, they will pull out of the Asia Cup. However, a PCB source said “it is very unlikely to happen.”