(Image source from: Sports.ndtv.com)

Pakistan has warned they will not participate in their Asia Cup 2025 game against UAE if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the current tournament, according to a Cricbuzz report. Pakistan expressed anger after India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha during their Asia Cup 2025 game on Sunday. After winning by 7 wickets, the Indian players also did not shake hands with any of the Pakistani players. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially made a complaint to the match referee against Team India, and now they have requested the removal of the match referee for supposedly ignoring the PCB’s complaint regarding the whole situation. As per the report, the PCB has threatened to not play against UAE on Tuesday unless Pycroft is dismissed. The Zimbabwean will also serve as the match referee for that match.

The PCB is said to have outlined their requests in a letter to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). PCB head Mohsin Naqvi, who is currently leading the ACC, formally complained about Pycroft to the ICC, even though the ICC is not running the tournament. “The PCB has filed a complaint with the ICC regarding breaches by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws related to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has asked for the Match Referee’s immediate removal from the Asia Cup,” PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X. Earlier, sources from the Asian Cricket Council informed NDTV that the match referee forgot to inform the Pakistan players about the ‘no handshake’ rule at the end of the game. He even apologized to the Pakistan team for his oversight.

In a late-night statement released in Urdu to local media, the PCB criticized Pycroft’s actions as “not in the spirit of sports” and mentioned that team manager Naveed Akram Cheema filed a “formal protest against the match referee’s conduct” with the International Cricket Council. The ICC has not yet responded publicly. “It’s extremely disappointing to see such a lack of sportsmanship,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed in a post on X. “Bringing politics into the game contradicts the true essence of sports. Let’s hope that future victories are shared by all teams with respect.”