Pakistan have threatened to boycott their Asia Cup 2025 match against UAE if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the ongoing tournament, according to a report by Cricbuzz. Pakistan were left fuming after India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha during their Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday. Following their 7-wicket win, Indian cricketers also did not shake hands with any of the Pakistan players. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first lodged a complaint against Team India to the match referee and now, they have demanded the match referee’s removal for allegedly not acting on the PCB’s protest in the entire incident.
According to the report, the PCB has threatened not to play the match against UAE on Tuesday if Pycroft is not removed. The Zimbabwean is the designated match referee for that game as well.
The PCB reportedly mentioned their demands in their letter to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is heading the ACC right now, lodged a formal complaint against Pycroft with the ICC even though the world body is not conducting the tournament.
“The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded the immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup,” PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said on ‘X’.
Earlier, Asian Cricket Council sources told NDTV that the match referee forgot to tell the Pakistan players of the ‘no handshake’ protocol at the end of the match. He even apologised to the Pakistan team for this mistake.
The PCB, in a late-night statement released in Urdu to domestic media, described Pycroft’s decision as “against sportsmanship” and said team manager Naveed Akram Cheema registered a “formal protest against the match referee’s behavior” with the International Cricket Council. The ICC is yet to issue a public response.
“Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi wrote in a post on X. “Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace.”
