Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja made an explosive claim on Wednesday. He attacked ICC-appointed match referee Andy Pycroft and accused him of bias towards the Indian team. Raja’s comment came moments after the PCB claimed that Pycroft apologised to them before the start of Pakistan’s final Group A game against the UAE in the Asia Cup 2025.
PCB had blamed Pycroft for the handshake fiasco that marred the ongoing continental tournament in the UAE. It began after Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts before and after their Asia Cup face-off last Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. India captain Suryakumar Yadav explained that their act was a gesture of solidarity towards the victims of the Pakistan-backed Pahalgam terror attack in April earlier this year, when 26 civilians lost their lives.
Pakistan accused that it was Pycroft who prevented Pakistan captain Salman Agha from shaking hands with his India counterpart at the toss, calling it a “misconduct of the highest order.” PCB even sought ICC’s intervention in the matter, demanding Pycroft’s removal from the Asia Cup, with the threat to pull out. But their plea was rejected twice.
On Wednesday, after a delayed start to the Pakistan-UAE clash, caused due to the continued stand-off between PCB and ICC, and with the Pakistan board waiting for a green signal from Islamabad on whether to continue with their participation in the tournament, Raja told the media from outside the PCB headquarters that Pycroft has been a “permanent fixer” for India, having officiated in 90 of their international matches.
He said: “It is a win for us. It was a critical situation. Emotions were running high. I am happy that we didn’t take an emotional decision. Our cricket would have been damaged that we gone with the boycott decision. I have always believed this, that all the talking needs to be done by our cricket team. The frustration should be shown on the field and it should inspire us to do better.”
The former Pakistan cricketer also said that he was left frustrated at Suryakumar’s post-match interview remarks, referring to the India captain dedicating the win to the Indian Armed forces, and the statement on the Pahalgam attack.
“My biggest objection was what was said in the post-match presentation (by Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav). That editorial was the critical point.. If the apology has come, then it’s good. If cricket turns into a political ground, then nothing can be achieved. I just hope that our cricket team does better. I have always seen that Andy Pycroft is the favourite for Team India. I think he is a permanent fixer over there when it comes to the Indian team. He has officiated in 90 Indian games. This is blatant, this is one-sided and it shouldn’t happen like that. This is a neutral platform. But anyway, I just hope better sense prevails.”
Raja, along with Najam Sethi, another former PCB chief, was invited by incumbent chairman Mohsin Naqvi to the PCB headquarters on Wednesday to discuss the matter over ICC-Pycroft situation. While the details of the meeting was not revealed, Naqvi eventually asked the Pakistan team to go ahead with the match against the UAE.
