Big twist in Andy Pycroft-PCB conflict!! Mohsin Naqvi forced to go underground

The Asia Cup 2025 match between India and Pakistan was over on September 14, but off the field, the drama is getting bigger every day. India’s simple no-handshake act has now turned into one of the most sensational controversies of the tournament.

Now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the match referee, Andy Pycroft, are at the center of this infamous saga. It all started on September 15, when the PCB sent its first email to the ICC.

They claimed that the Code of Conduct was not followed during the toss, as Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands. The PCB directly questioned Andy Pycroft’s role as he asked Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav.

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PCB at war with ICC over Asia Cup 2025 drama

The ICC immediately did its own review and replied that Pycroft had done nothing wrong. The governing body explained that Pycroft was only following instructions from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which is actually headed by PCB president Mohsin Naqvi.

Read Also: ACC convenes Emergency AGM after Asia Cup 2025 fiasco, BCCI's Candidate block on Agenda

The ICC even said Pycroft handled the moment smartly and made sure no awkward situation was shown on live TV. But the PCB was not happy with this reply. They went one step further and demanded that Pycroft should be removed from officiating Pakistan’s matches at the 2025 Asia Cup.

To make things more heated, they even threatened that Pakistan would withdraw from the tournament if their demand was ignored. Well, the ICC stood strong and made it clear that Pycroft had not broken any rules and that officials could not be changed just because one team was unhappy.

ICC demands evidence as PCB extends handshake controversy

Then, on September 17, the handshake drama took a fresh turn. The PCB sent another email with new claims. For the first two days, all their complaints were about the toss. But now, they alleged that there were violations during and after the match as well, once again targeting Pycroft.

Responding to Pakistan’s fresh allegations, the ICC asked them to share proper evidence to support their claims that there were violations during and after the group match between India and Pakistan. But the PCB has not sent anything concrete to the ICC till now.

The ICC is still awaiting the proofs from the PCB that can prove their claims against Pycroft, with Mohsin Naqvi keeping his lips tight on the same.

Read Also: After Andy Pycroft, Suryakumar Yadav comes on PCB radar

PCB’s last-minute stunt backfires as ICC CEO Sanjog Gupt refuses to change rules

Meanwhile, just before Pakistan’s game against the UAE, the Pakistan board stopped the team from boarding the bus to the stadium at the last moment. This led to hours of back-and-forth talks between the PCB, ICC, and ACC, and the match was delayed by almost an hour.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and COO Salman Naseer represented Pakistan, while the ICC side was handled by their new CEO, Sanjog Gupta, during these heated discussions. Gupta made it clear that without proof, there was no reason to remove Pycroft, and the ICC would not compromise its standards.

In the end, the PCB’s threats did not work. Their demand to remove Pycroft was rejected, their withdrawal warning fell flat, and the match referee continues to officiate matches in the continental event. The ICC stood firm and made sure the rules were not bent under pressure.