Pakistan Unlikely To Pull Out Of Asia Cup: ‘If We Do That, ICC And Jay Shah Will…’ | Cricket News

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is now reportedly unlikely to pull out of the 2025 Asia Cup. Some media reports had claimed that the PCB had given the International Cricket Council an ultimatum to withdraw match referee Andy Pycroft from the tournament, saying they’d pull themselves out otherwise.

However, according to The Times of India, which quoted a source in the PCB, the board doesn’t want to risk facing sanctions from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is chaired by the former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah.

“It is very unlikely that the PCB will pull out from the Asia Cup. If we do that, ICC led by Jay Shah will put heavy sanctions on the PCB, and this is something our board cannot afford. The financial situation post the Champions Trophy, where all the stadiums were renovated, is not good,” the quoted source said.

It’s unclear if the ICC can officially put sanctions on the PCB and what exactly that might entail.

However, the issue seems to have subsided a bit. The PCB have been crying foul about Pycroft since the men’s side lost to India by seven wickets in the group stage Asia Cup match in Dubai.

They have accused Pycroft of going against the ‘spirit of cricket’ by telling the Indian and Pakistani captains, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha, that there won’t be any handshakes at the toss. The Pakistan side also felt disrespected when the Indian team didn’t shake their hands after the match ended.

“It is alarming to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct which clearly violates the Spirit of Cricket and MCC Laws,” the PCB wrote in a letter to the ICC .’The match referee failed to discharge his responsibility: to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides; and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise.”

The ICC is unlikely to heed their demands to remove Pyrcroft from the tournament, though some reports in Pakistan claim that they might not be assigned to Pakistani games anymore.