Andy Pycroft, central to the handshake controversy during the India vs. Pakistan clash on September 14 at the Asia Cup, will act as the match referee for their Super Four encounter in Dubai this Sunday, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called for Pycroft’s removal after their heavy 7-wicket loss to India. The PCB claimed that Pycroft instructed captains Salman Agha and Suryakumar Yadav not to shake hands during their group stage match toss.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) did not heed PCB’s request, allowing the former Zimbabwe cricketer to remain. Ahead of Pakistan’s match against the UAE, the ICC confirmed Pycroft would oversee Wednesday’s game, dismissing PCB’s repeated removal appeals.
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The PCB stated that Pycroft apologized to the Pakistan team’s manager and captain, attributing the incident to a misunderstanding.
The issue carried over into Pakistan’s crucial game against the UAE. Pakistan arrived late at the Dubai International Stadium, delaying the match by an hour after cancelling the pre-match press conference. PCB officials engaged in discussions with the ICC while players stayed at their hotel.
A meeting between Pakistan’s team management and Pycroft led to another controversy. A silent video of the meeting was shared by PCB on social media but was later removed. This sets the stage for the teams to meet again at the same venue.
Amid the off-field drama, Suryakumar remained concentrated on the upcoming task, stating on Saturday, “Our preparations have been excellent leading into the tournament. We’ve had three good games, so our focus is on performing our best. We’ll stick to the good habits we’ve developed over the last few games, taking it one game at a time.”
“Playing them once doesn’t give us an edge. It will be a fresh start. Whoever plays well will win,” he added.
India will hold an optional practice session as the Suryakumar-led team finished their group stage with a 21-run win over Oman on Friday, traveling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai early. Meanwhile, Pakistan will conduct a full training session at the ICC Academy.
India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.
