The Pakistan cricket team has called off its news conference before the Super Four match against India. This shows how tense things are getting around the Asia Cup. A source from the event said that the decision was made to “avoid questions about the Pycroft appointment and the handshake controversy.”
The cancellation comes after a new report says that match referee Andy Pycroft has been given the high-stakes Sunday game again, even though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked for him to be removed several times. The roster of officials for the game, on the other hand, has not yet been made public.
Last Sunday, Pycroft was in the middle of a big fight when the Indian team didn’t shake hands with the Pakistan squad after their match, which was a policy choice. The BCCI and the government were both very clear about what they wanted, but the PCB blamed Pycroft, saying he told the teams not to follow the rules.
The PCB sent two emails to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for Pycroft to be kicked out of the tournament and their games, but both requests were flat-out denied. The ICC stood by its official and said that Pycroft never apologized; he only said he “regretted the miscommunication.” They also said that he was just a messenger passing on instructions from the Asian Cricket Council’s site manager.
The ICC’s decision to re-appoint Pycroft as the referee for the game makes it obvious where they stand, since getting rid of him would have created a “wrong precedent.” The Pakistan team’s decision to cancel the press conference shows that they want to focus on the game and not let the off-field issue get worse.