in-strong-signal-to-pak-pycroft-to-be-match-referee-again

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has once again assigned the high-stakes India-Pakistan Asia Cup Super 4s match on Sunday to its Elite Panel Match Referee Andy Pycroft despite repeated requests by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to remove him from the roster.

 

Confirming that Andy Pycroft would be the match referee for the Indo-Pak match, a tournament organiser said the list of match officials for Sunday's game has not been made public so far. The other match referee in the Asia Cup is former West Indies captain Richie Richardson.

 

Pycroft was the match referee last Sunday when the Indian team, as a policy decision, didn't shake hands with the Pakistan team, but Pycroft found himself at the centre of a controversy after India skipper Suryakumar Yadav didn't shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart at the toss last Sunday. The Pakistan team had written two mails to the ICC, first requesting Pycroft's removal from the tournament and then asking it to remove him from Pakistan’s games.

 

Also read: Pakistan to play on, but wants Pycroft replaced

 

The ICC outrightly rejected both the demands as it firmly stood behind its Elite Panel Zimbabwean referee. It rejected the PCB's claims that Pycroft had violated the “Spirit of the Game” code, insisting that he was merely a messenger who passed on what was conveyed to him from the designated venue manager of the Asian Cricket Council. He could only pass on the message as there were only a few minutes left for the match to begin, it said.

 

The ICC later arranged a meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team management comprising captain Salman, head coach Mike Hesson and manager Naveed Akram Cheema, where he said that he "regretted the miscommunication".

 

The ICC, in another e-mail, pointed out that Pycroft never apologised but only "regretted the miscommunication" and also accused the PCB of violating protocols related to 'Players And Match Officials Area' (PMOA), which the Pakistan board denied. In this backdrop, appointing Pycroft for another Indo-Pak match is a clear indication that the ICC is in no mood to budge from its stand as removing Pycroft would have set a wrong precedent.