In the middle of the Asia Cup, Pakistani officials considered withdrawing from the tournament in protest of Pakistan’s decision to play against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the match was delayed by an hour.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC reached a decision regarding Andy Pycroft’s position as match referee following his role in the “no handshake” row involving India three days prior to the start of the game at 7: 30 pm local time (15: 30 GMT).
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In a statement released moments before the Pakistan-UAE game, the ICC said that “Andy Pycroft, the match referee, has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team.”
The September 14 incident was a result of “miscommunication,” according to Andy Pycroft.
The ICC also stated that Pycroft’s request to Pakistan and India captains avoid the customary handshake at the toss, which the PCB claims violated the game’s laws, “expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match.”
The crucial and contentious match between the South Asian rivals on Sunday featured a key match official, who allegedly requested that Salman Agha’s captain in Pakistan and Suryakumar Yadav not participate in the customary captains’ handshake.
After scoring the winning runs for India, Yadav and his batting partner Shivam Dube walked off the field without shaking the opposition’s hands, a custom practice in cricket, in a move that the match officials did not object to.
Additionally, the Indian players and staff did not approach the Pakistanis and instead locked the door to their dressing room while the Pakistanis watched.
The PCB immediately complained to the tournament’s organizers after the decision and Pycroft’s decision to not reprimand the Indian team.
A PCB official who spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity claimed that the PCB also wrote to the ICC on Monday asking for Pycroft to be fired as match referee for all of Pakistan’s remaining games due to his “failure to discharge his duties.”
Up until an hour before the scheduled start of the match, the alleged ICC’s apparent refusal to remove Pycroft caused the impasse.
The PCB later released a video of a meeting where ICC General Manager of Cricket Wasim Khan is seen mediating a settlement between Pycroft and the Pakistani team, which is led by manager Naveed Akram Cheema, captain Agha, and head coach Mike Hesson, during the toss in Dubai.
Due to the Pakistani squad not arriving on the bus for the venue at its scheduled departure time, which indicates a logistical complication between the PCB and the ICC, the match’s fate was remained a mystery for hours.
The team then left the stadium once both parties had reached a deal. Five minutes before the toss with the PCB’s statement, however, the outcome of the game became clear.
Under a cloud of uncertainty, the UAE squad awaited Pakistan’s arrival at the stadium.
The Group A match serves as a knockout match between the two teams, with the winner advancing to the eight-nation championship’s Super Four round.
Source: Aljazeera
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