Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has stirred a controversy with an accusation against ICC match referee Andy Pycroft, alleging favouritism towards the Indian Cricket team.
The incident came after the no-handshake controversy which was erupted after India vs Pakistan match when the Indian players refused to shake hands with the Pakistani side at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The PCB was left fuming and pointed fingers at Andy Pycroft for deliberately asking Salman Agha to not shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav during the toss.
Tensions escalated before the match against UAE started, with PCB trying to make efforts to ditch it in order to have Pycroft replaced. The match was also delayed by one hour and during this time Naqvi reportedly held urgent discussions with former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi regarding the consequences of pulling out.
While addressing the reporters Ramiz Raja unleashed sharp criticism against Pycroft, He labelled him as a “permanent fixer” for India and being consistently biased.
“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.”
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“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.”
