The war of words around the Asia Cup 2025 is showing no signs of cooling down. After India beat Pakistan in Dubai and refused to shake hands before and after the match, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fired a strong complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The board accused match referee Andy Pycroft of misconduct and demanded his immediate removal. Now, the details of PCB’s explosive letter have come to light.
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What led to PCB’s explosive letter to ICC?
The controversy began when Indian players avoided shaking hands with Pakistan before and after the group match on September 14.
Even at the toss, captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha didn’t shake hands. After the game ended, the Pakistan players lined up outside India’s dressing room for the usual handshake, but no one from the Indian side came out.
READ: Is there really a handshake rule in cricket?
Soon after, Pakistan’s team manager lodged a complaint with the ACC. The claim was that Pycroft himself told both captains not to shake hands.
This, according to PCB, went against the spirit of the game. Unhappy with ACC’s handling, PCB took the matter directly to the ICC, demanding Pycroft’s removal from the tournament.
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What did PCB accuse Andy Pycroft of in the letter?
In the letter, PCB alleged that Pycroft showed “misconduct of the highest order” and failed in his duty as a neutral official. According to reports, the board said his actions broke Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials.
“It is alarming to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct, which clearly violates the Spirit of Cricket and MCC Laws," the letter stated.
The letter argued that a referee’s role is to maintain respect and ensure a healthy atmosphere between teams, but instead, Pycroft’s instructions did the opposite. PCB wrote that his behaviour not only violated the Spirit of Cricket but also brought disrepute to the game.
“The match referee failed to discharge his responsibility: to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides; and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise.
“In fact, the Match Referee’s instructions to the two team captains were entirely directed towards achieving the opposite result. This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the Match Referee to conduct himself in a manner, which is contrary to the spirit of game and violates the MCC Laws.
“Given the gravity, political nature/background, and far-reaching consequences and repercussions, the misconduct has also caused disrepute to the game," the letter stated further.
READ: Did Ricky Ponting really call India a ‘perpetual loser’?
Media reports suggested that PCB had warned ICC about pulling out of the Asia Cup if their demand was ignored.
However, insiders later clarified that while the board was furious, an actual boycott was unlikely because of the financial and political fallout it would bring.
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