Pakistan reach ‘middle of road’ agreement with ICC, won’t boycott UAE clash at Asia Cup

Andy Pycroft will not be officiating any of Pakistan's matches in the Asia Cup as PCB ha managed to convince the ICC

The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly reached an agreement with the International Cricket Council over the removal of Andy Pycroft as a match referee in Asia Cup. The team had threatened to withdraw from the tournament if the official wasn’t removed. However, the ICC had rejected their demand on Tuesday. Now, a report has claimed that Pakistan will get a different match referee for their remaining Asia Cup matches.

Pakistan won’t boycott Asia Cup

As per news agency PTI, the PCB has reached a middle of the road agreement with the ICC on Andy Prycroft. As per the report, Richie Richardson will officiate the PAK vs UAE game on Wednesday instead of Andy – who was the designated official initially. Initially, the PCB’s letter to the ICC was rejected by their former chairman Waseem Khan.

Earlier, a report had claimed the PCB was expected to meet on Tuesday night to decide on the future course of action in the Asia Cup. The report stated the board was awaiting the return of chairman Mohsin Naqvi from Islamabad to Lahore as he had gone to consult the government on their future participation in the event. 

“As a minister in the Pakistan government, Naqvi’s visit to Islamabad should have been a routine one, but it is learnt that this visit was to discuss the handshake controversy, its implications and the standoff with the ICC over Pycroft, who is the designated match referee for Wednesday’s game,” the report states.

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team reportedly wrapped up their practice session on Tuesday before the arrival of the Pakistan team. The handshake row began in the IND vs PAK clash where Suryakumar Yadav and co. snubbed the Pakistan players and went straight back to the dressing room without exchanging pleasantries. Later, PCB said in a statement that it had lodged a strong protest the ICC. It also alleged that Andy Pycroft had instructed the captains to not shake hands at the time of the toss.