ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is planning a strong and strict response after International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft.
Sources revealed that in its response to Pakistan, ICC said it is willing to remove Pycroft from Pakistan matches but not from the entire Asia Cup 2025 fixture.
However, PCB has decided to strictly respond as a high level meeting is underway in Islamabad with senior government official in attendance.
Sources further said that the strict response can include boycotting the Asia Cup 2025 tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier dismissed reports from media claiming that the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its demand.
The PCB clarified that no such response has been received from the ICC. The board said that the reports being circulated in Indian media are “baseless and without foundation.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspended its Director of International Cricket, Usman Wahla, after he delayed sending a formal complaint to the ICC regarding India’s conduct during an Asia Cup match.
According to sources, Wahla was removed because the letter to the ICC was written late.
The board felt he failed to respond in time to the behaviour of the Indian team and the match referee.
During the Pakistan-India clash, controversy began at the toss when match referee Andy Pycroft told Pakistan captain Salman Agha there would be no handshake.
Pycroft had already instructed Pakistan’s media manager not to let this be recorded.
At the end of the game, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema raised objections with tournament director Andrew Russell.
Russell reportedly said the instructions had come from the Indian cricket board and later added they were actually from the Indian government.
In its letter to the ICC and MCC, the PCB referred to MCC laws and stressed that it had repeatedly highlighted the “spirit of the game.”
The board accused the match referee of failing to fulfil his responsibilities and of violating the ICC Code of Conduct.
The PCB further argued that the referee’s behaviour went against the spirit of cricket and MCC laws, calling it a “serious breach.”
Read more: Pakistan to boycott Asia Cup if Andy Pycroft not removed as match referee
