Asia Cup 2025: Andy Pycroft To Oversee India-Pakistan Super Four Clash Amidst Debates | Cricket News

In the eye of the storm: Match Referee Andy Pycroft

What comes as a blow to Pakistan’s aspirations of seeing the back of match referee Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwean national is all set to officiate their game against arch-rivals India on Sunday, September 21, in Dubai, according to a report in PTI. The marquee clash is the second Super 4 clash of the Asia Cup.

On Sunday, Pycroft will serve as a match official despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s objections, after it accused him of breaching the spirit of cricket by asking India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Agha Salman not to shake hands at the toss or post-match in their earlier clash on September 14 in Dubai.

Pycroft, a senior member of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel of Match Officials, received a clean chit from the global cricket body after the PCB stated that he had apologised for his actions.

But the International Cricket Council clarified that Pycroft hasn’t issued any apology, outright rejecting the Pakistan Cricket Board’s claims and asserting its authority over the matter.

With matters now resolved between the International Cricket Council, Pakistan Cricket Board and Asian Cricket Council, the game is expected to proceed as scheduled, with Pycroft confirmed as the match referee, as per reports.

The clash will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the very venue of the handshake controversy, where Pakistan skipper Agha Salman had skipped the post-match presentation.

Indo-Pak cricket games have always had tense build-ups, but the tension hasn’t been as visible as it is now, after last Sunday’s incident when Suryakumar and his team refused to shake hands with their rivals.

According to reports, the Indian team might maintain the policy against the neighbours this Sunday too and handshakes might not be the order of the day, even as Pakistan cricketers and their supporters look at the match as a “Grudge Match”.

First Published:

September 20, 2025, 14:49 IST