ICC-PCB Deal: Andy Pycroft Out, Richie Richardson In as Pakistan Match Referee

No Handshake Dispute: The dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) was finally resolved before the important match of the Asia Cup. PCB had demanded the removal of the match referee, Andy Pikeroft, from the match between Pakistan and the UAE. Now the ICC has appointed Richie Richardson as a new match referee, assuming this demand. A senior PCB official confirmed the decision to news agencies PTI and ANI.

Controversy erupted after Indo-Pak match

The dispute began after the high-profile India-Pakistan match played on Sunday. After the match was over, the Indian players refused to join hands with Pakistani players and instead paid silent tribute to 26 people who were martyred in the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

PCB expressed displeasure over some decisions during the incident and the match and sent a formal complaint to the ICC. PCB said the match referee, Andy Pycroft's decisions were biased and violated the ICC rules. Along with this, PCB demanded his services be removed from Pakistan's upcoming matches. Initially the ICC rejected this demand. The special thing is that this answer was the signature of Wasim Khan, who was once a CEO of PCB. This further increased dissatisfaction within the Pakistan Board.

PCB withdraws from fear of financial loss

According to sources, a plan to exclude the Pakistan team from the Asia Cup was also considered. But if the PCB had taken such a step, it would have had a major economic loss of about 16 million US dollars (about 134 crore rupees). The economic condition of the Pakistan Board is already weak, while boards like India have strong financial resources. For this reason, PCB chose the way to resolve the dispute instead of withdrawing from the tournament.

Match referee changed after the agreement.

After several hours of conversation and closed-room meetings, the two sides finally reached an agreement. Under this, Richie Richardson was appointed as a referee for the Pakistan vs. UAE match. It also brought great relief for PCB chairman and Pakistan Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

According to sources, Mohsin Naqvi also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to resolve the matter. However, it was officially stated that the meeting was not directly related to the cricket dispute.

Pakistan in a do-or-die situation

The match against UAE is like 'do or die' for Pakistan. The match will decide whether the team will be able to keep their hopes alive in the tournament or will be out. With the appointment of the new referee, it is expected that this match will be concluded without any new controversy and focus will be on cricket.