60 Minutes, 6 Emails, 1 Closed Room: Inside The Asia Cup Clash Pakistan Couldn’t Resolve | Cricket News

Uncertainty over Pakistan’s future in the Asia Cup dominated the build-up in the UAE, taking focus away from the cricket itself. The suspense lasted until just hours before last night’s clash against the hosts, which Pakistan played amid high drama.

Having won the match, Pakistan has now qualified for the Super Four. However, questions remain about why the match started an hour late and the details of a closed-door meeting.

The toss for the Pakistan-UAE match was fraught with drama, involving numerous emails, phone calls, conversations, and accusations. The Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was determined to remove match referee Andy Pycroft for allegedly violating the code of conduct.

The situation escalated when the Pakistani team decided not to board the bus to the stadium at the scheduled time. Discussions between the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) led to the match starting an hour late. Nevertheless, when the two captains lined up for the toss, match referee Andy Pycroft was present.

On September 15, a day after the India-Pakistan match, the PCB sent an email to the ICC referring to an “incident during the toss” where they believed a code of conduct violation occurred, questioning the role of match referee Pycroft because the two captains, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha, did not shake hands.

The ICC promptly agreed to investigate and subsequently informed the PCB that Pycroft had not violated any code of conduct.

It was reported that Pycroft was following ACC instructions, then headed by Naqvi, regarding not shaking hands during the toss. The ICC further stated that Pycroft managed the situation well and avoided any awkwardness on live television.

Unconvinced by the ICC’s response, the PCB demanded Pycroft’s removal and threatened to withdraw from the tournament if he was not removed from Pakistan’s match.

The ICC stood firm, reiterating that Pycroft was not guilty of any violation and insisting that officials could not be replaced at any team’s request, as this would set a dangerous precedent.

When the PCB’s threats failed, the ACC intervened with the same request, but the ICC remained unmoved. The PCB continued to press the issue, sending emails on the 15th and 16th about the toss incident. By the 17th, a new email claimed that the code of conduct had been violated during and after the match against India, again questioning Pycroft’s role.

Amid this drama, Pycroft suggested a meeting with Pakistani captain Agha and manager Naveed Akram Cheema. Pakistani coach Mike Hesson was also present in the match referee’s room. Reports indicate that Pycroft spoke with the Pakistani team about a possible misunderstanding.

The PCB claimed that Pycroft apologised, though a reliable source noted, “There was no question of an apology, especially from someone who did nothing wrong.”

A video of the meeting, though muted, has also gone viral. Ultimately, six emails were sent by Pakistan, leading to considerable discussion, but only one change occurred: the start time of the Pakistan-UAE match. Andy Pycroft officiated this match and will continue his duties in the tournament.