Asia cup 2025: Pakistan Cancels Press Conference, Andy Pycroft to Officiate India Match – Echoes of Previous Dispute?
Colombo – ahead of their highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash with India, the Pakistan cricket team has canceled a scheduled press conference. Sources indicate a motivational speaker has been brought in to address the team. This follows a pattern of heightened tension surrounding matches against India, recalling a recent controversy involving match referee Andy Pycroft.
Pycroft will again serve as match referee for the India-Pakistan contest, having previously officiated their last encounter, and also the Pakistan-UAE match. His extensive experience includes 103 Test matches, 248 ODIs, and 185 T20 Internationals as a match referee.
The appointment of Pycroft is notably sensitive given prior objections from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Before their match against the UAE, the PCB demanded Pycroft’s removal from the Asia Cup. This demand was rejected by the International cricket Council (ICC).
The PCB had accused Pycroft of bias following an incident where Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistani player Aga Salman reportedly declined a customary handshake after the india-Pakistan match. The Pakistani team afterward boycotted the award ceremony in protest.
This led to a threat of withdrawal from the tournament, delaying the start of the Pakistan-UAE match by one hour. The situation was resolved after discussions between the ICC,PCB,and Asian Cricket council (ACC),with Pakistan ultimately playing and winning the match to qualify for the Super-4 stage. The upcoming India-Pakistan match will be held at the same venue where the initial dispute occurred.
India enters the match with a perfect record in the group stage, defeating Oman, UAE, and Pakistan.Pakistan, led by Salman Aga, secured wins against UAE and oman but lost to India by 7 wickets.
The ICC has emphasized the importance of the match referee’s role and signaled its determination to ensure the game is not disrupted by external factors, as tensions between the two nations remain high.