Andy Pycroft, the ICC match referee at the centre of the controversy that nearly derailed the 2025 Asia Cup, was only told minutes before the toss of the India-Pakistan match on September 14 that the two captains were not to shake hands. At that moment, he believed himself to be a conveyor of the message rather than issuing instructions. Pycroft was subsequently the subject of a complaint made by the PCB, in which it accused him of breaching ICC codes as well as the spirit of cricket, and demanded his removal from the tournament.
Details have begun to emerge of the frenzied nature of events between the two Pakistan games on September 14 and 17. The controversy was sparked, according to an official with direct knowledge of the situation, “four minutes before the toss” in Sunday’s game between Pakistan and India. As Pycroft walked on to the field, he was told by the ACC venue manager that the BCCI had communicated to them – with the Indian government’s approval – that there was to be no handshake between the captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha.
PCB officials argued that Pycroft should have alerted the ICC about this unusual request; Pycroft is believed to have said he did not have time to do so. With enough time, he would have consulted the ICC. Instead, moments before the toss, he told Agha of the situation in the belief he was avoiding a potentially embarrassing public moment if Agha went to shake hands with Suryakumar, only to be snubbed.
