The ICC has confirmed match referee Andy Pycroft for Wednesday’s game involving Pakistan and the UAE and, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) numerous requests for his removal, it will be a working appointment for Pycroft.
Pycroft, in a statement made available to the public, offered an apology to the Pakistan captain and the team manager, labelling the matter a ‘misunderstanding’. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues to be eager to hear on the ICC’s intentions to get to the bottom of any suspected code of conduct breaches that were occurring.
View and listen to the words spoken by PCB: Andy Pycroft, the ICC’s match referee, has issued an apology to the manager and the captain of the Pakistani cricket team. During the match, Pycroft ordered the captains of the rival teams to refrain from any hand shake, something which was highly criticized by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Pycroft described what happened on September 14 as an apology due to a miscommunication. The ICC has said they are willing to look into the breach of the Code of Conduct which was broken on September 14.
The dispute revolves around the India-Pakistan match on September 14 where India did not greet the defeated Pakistan side after winning the match by 7 wickets in Dubai.
The situation worsened as Pycroft had already ordered both team captains not to shake hands – a move the PCB heavily criticized. Pakistan in turn boycotted the post-match presentation.
The PCB lodged two formal complaints against Pycroft for breaches relating to the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC rules of the game on the spirit of the cricket, even threatening to withdraw from the tournament if their issues were not resolved.
On Wednesday tension was still in the air as Pakistan arrived late which caused a one hour delay for the match against UAE. The team had not been late for the hotel before the match, which was one hour before the toss. The team. On Tuesday, the team did not hold their usual press conference before the match but did attend a scheduled practice session.
Highlights
Inevitably the ICC did not rule in favor of the PCB’s request to remove Pycroft which meant the controversial referee was in charge of Pakistan’s crucial final group stage match.