The International Cricket Board (ICC) has accused PCB of using a mobile phone to record the meeting between match referee Andy Pycroft and Pakistan team management ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 game against UAE on September 17.
According to reports, the ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has informed PCB that the use of mobile phone to film the conversation was breach of protocol in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA).
Apart from Pycroft, the meeting was attended by Pakistan captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson team manager Naveed Akram Cheema and media manager Naeem Gillani.
While Gillani attempted to film the meeting, he was told mobile phones were not allowed inside the PMOA. The PCB was insistent on filiming the meeting, though saying Pakistan would not play the match against UAE otherwise.
In his mail Sanjog Gupta said, the PCB had commited ‘multiple violations’ of the PMOA Protocol.
At the meeting, Pycroft told the Pakistan management that he was merely the messenger of the instruction that India captain Suryakumar Yadav would not shake hands with Agha and not the issuer of the directive.
While he expressed ‘regret over the miscommunication and misunderstanding’ around the situation, shortly after the meeting the PCB issued a statement claiming Pycroft had ‘apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team.”
The ICC disagreed with this idea and Gupta reiterated in his email to the PCB that Andy Pycroft had expressed regret for the miscommunication.
The Asia Cup match between Pakistan and UAE begun after one hour delay and only after the PCB agreed to a meeting between Pycroft and the team management ahead of the game to try and resolve issues around the handshake row incident that had occurred at the toss of the India-Pakistan game on Sunday.
The PCB claim was that Pycroft had violated ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC’s spirit of cricket in telling Salman Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav.
The Pakistan Board even threatened to pull out of Pakistan team out of the Asia Cup and for some time. However, they went on to play the game against UAE and won the game to secure a spot in Super Fours.
