The International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to issue an official response to the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) request for a change of match referee. However, indications strongly suggest that the governing body is unlikely to accede to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi's demand to replace Andy Pycroft from the panel of match referees for the Asia Cup.
ASIA CUP, 2025
ICC all set to reject PCB demand to replace match referee Pycroft
PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi had demanded to replace Andy Pycroft from the panel of match referees for the Asia Cup © AFP
At the time of writing, it remained unclear whether the ICC had formally responded to Naqvi's mail. However, the prevailing impression is that there are no sufficient grounds to accede to the PCB's request. Should a response not yet have been issued, it is expected shortly.
The dominant view within the ICC is that Pycroft had only a minimal role in the handshake episode, and that all he may have done was convey a message to the Pakistan captain to avoid the public embarrassment of one captain refusing to shake hands with the other at the toss.
More to follow...
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