Pycroft to officiate in India-Pakistan match

Andy Pycroft will remain the match referee for the big India-Pakistan clash in the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday (September 21). Cricbuzz can confirm that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of his appointment for the eagerly-awaited Super Four encounter at Dubai International Stadium.

The ICC, having already conducted an inquiry, is unwilling to allow the integrity of its match officials to be questioned. It has also maintained that no doubts should be raised over Pycroft once he has been cleared. "The integrity and credibility of a match official should never be questioned once a fair inquiry has exonerated him," said a source familiar with the developments in Dubai.

It is not just for Sunday's game - Pycroft will also serve as the match referee for Pakistan's one more Super Four fixture, against Bangladesh on September 25. For their clash against Sri Lanka on September 23, West Indian Richie Richardson will officiate. In fact, the ICC has devised a system whereby Pycroft will oversee all matches in Dubai and Richardson will oversee the games in Abu Dhabi. It has stuck to that plan.

Thus, for the India-Bangladesh game in Dubai on September 24, Pycroft will be the match referee, just as he is the official for Saturday's Sri Lanka-Bangladesh clash at the same venue. The appointment for the final on September 28 in Dubai has not yet been made. As per usual practice, match officials for the knockout matches are appointed based on their performances during the tournament.

The appointment of match officials is consistent with the ICC's stated policy that such decisions must be centralised, leaving no role for member boards in the process. This message is believed to have been conveyed in no uncertain terms by ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta, who has emphasised that it is the parent body's responsibility to ensure match officials remain free from pressure or external influence.

The re-appointment of Pycroft may have been the reason the Pakistan team cancelled its pre-match media conference, as they did ahead of their last league fixture against UAE on September 17, which had resulted in considerable drama, a fracas, and a delayed start. Pakistan's actions appear puzzling, given that the PCB had publicly announced that Pycroft had expressed regret over the handshake row, a video of which it had released to the media. The team management and PCB did not provide any explanations.

There appears to be some disparity regarding recent remarks by Ramiz Raja about Pycroft officiating in 90 India games. In fact, the Zimbabwean has officiated in over 100 Pakistan matches, more than 110 England games, and over 120 India encounters, bringing his total tally to more than 530 matches across all formats.