In the buildup to Pakistan’s vital Asia Cup group stage clash against the UAE, one important piece of news has popped up. According to PTI and ANI, a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said that match referee Andy Pycroft will be replaced by Richie Richardson for the next fixture. This adjustment follows after the PCB reached an understanding with the International Cricket Council (ICC), in the wake of a charged standoff between the PCB and ICC after Sunday’s high-profile encounter against India.
The tension escalated following the match when Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, instead opting to quietly pay tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 dead. The PCB was heavily dissatisfied with some of the decisions and conduct during the match, officially calling for Pycroft’s removal from working on any other Pakistan matches within the tournament. The board sent an official protest citing violations of ICC regulations, though the complaint was rejected by the ICC at first. Significantly, the response from the ICC was signed by Waseem Khan, the ICC general manager and ex-PCB CEO, further complicating the matter.
After a day of rumination and behind-the-scenes bargaining, sources announced that there had been a compromise: Richie Richardson will now lead Pakistan’s match against the UAE next. This resolution gives PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister, a diplomatic solution. Naqvi had been negotiating with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif earlier that day, according to a report, although officials said the talks were not cricket-related.
Had Pakistan withdrawn from the tournament, it would have resulted in a loss of approximately USD 16 million in revenue a sum the PCB can hardly afford, given the comparison with financially well-equipped boards like the BCCI. The uncertainty also hampered team operations. A pre-arranged press conference ahead of Pakistan’s practice session was cancelled at an hour and a half to the players’ arrival time. Rumours of a potential boycott had been doing the rounds, but the team did turn up for training, though with a decidedly less tensioned atmosphere.
At the same time, Indian team, boosted by their commanding victory over Pakistan on Sunday, finished a strenuous three-hour session under strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux. Players like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were observed doing Bronco runs, reflecting the team’s focus on hard fitness work.
Also Read: Pakistan comes for training session alongside India amid Asia Cup 2025 boycott threat – WATCH
Pakistan’s training, though, was questionable. Instead of doing high-intensity drills, the players were seen carrying out a football passing drill a warm-up exercise all but eliminated from the top echelons of cricket in the last decade. Though the ambiance looked relaxed and playful, insiders indicated that the chuckling masked little more than anger caused by both on-field defeats and off-field dramas.
No Pakistani player came anywhere near the Indian nets during the session, where head coach Mike Hesson took another intense drill session. The apparent distance between the two sides seemed a poignant metaphor for the politics and cricketing animus. In between, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav marked his 35th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony, albeit late in the day, at the insistence of Indian media. The ceremony coincided with India’s win over Pakistan on September 14.
