‘Andy apologised:” PCB issues statement over hand-skaing situation ahead of UAE match
As per PCB, following the controversial India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup match on September 14, ICC match referee Andy Pycroft issued a formal apology to Pakistan's team manager and captain.
Last Updated: 09.09 PM, Sep 17, 2025
In a significant development following the heated Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on September 14, as per an official statement by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), ICC match referee Andy Pycroft has issued a formal apology to Pakistan’s team manager and captain regarding the controversial incident where Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands.
What happened?
During the India vs Pakistan match, Pycroft did not intervene as India skipped the traditional handshake between the Indian and Pakistani captains after the match, sparking strong criticism from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which condemned the act as inappropriate.
The incident caused widespread debate and added fuel to already heightened tensions between the two teams.
Pakistan wanted to change Pycorft’s appointment for their match against UAE, but ICC had already denied the reuqest from the 2-time Asia Cup winners. After that, there were rumours that Pakistan wanted to boycott the match and will not turn up for the must win game.
But, finally, the PCB had a meeting with former chairs, and though the toss and match were delayed, they decided to play the match. The official statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board suggest that match referee Andy Pycroft has appologised to the Pakistan cricket team for the incident, and ICC will investigate the situation further as well.
As per PCB, Pycroft described the episode as a “miscommunication” and expressed regret over the manner in which the situation was handled.
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Statement from PCB
"The ICC’s match referee, Andy Pycroft, has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Andy Pycroft had barred the captains of India and Pakistan from shaking hands during their match.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had strongly reacted to Andy Pycroft’s actions. Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologised. The ICC has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match."