Pycroft informed of ‘no handshake’ four minutes before Ind-Pak toss

DUBAI:Andy Pycroft, the match refree for India-Pakistan clash during the ongoing Asia Cup, who has been in a controversy due to a ‘handshake row’ between both sides, was only told minutes before the toss ahead of September 14 fixture between both arch-rivals that both teams were not to shake hands, as per ESPNCricinfo.

As per ESPNCricinfo, the match referee believed himself to be a conveyor of the message rather than an instructor. A complaint was lodged against Pycroft by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), accusing him of violation of the ICC’s Code of Conduct and the spirit of cricket after skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field without shaking hands with Pakistani players. PCB also demanded that the referee be removed from officiating for the remainder of the tournament.

Details have now emerged of the events between two Pakistan fixtures, one against India on the 14th and against the UAE on the 17th. The controversy was sparked, as per an official with direct knowledge of the whole situation, “four minutes before the toss” in Sunday’s game between Pakistan and India. As he walked out to the field, Pycroft was informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) venue manager that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had spoken to them, with approval from their central government, that no handshake would take place between Indian skipper Surya and his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha.

PCB officials argued that the match referee should have informed the ICC of this unusual request, but Pycroft is believed to have said he did not have any time to do so. With enough time, he would have made ICC aware. Moments before the toss, he told Agha of the situation in the belief that he was avoiding a potentially embarrassing moment if Agha went to shake hands with the Indian captain and got snubbed by him.

Pycroft’s decision has not been seen by ICC as a breach of any code of conduct, but as an action he was authorised to take in his remit as a match official deputed to manage the game.

On Wednesday, ahead of their must-win clash against the UAE, PCB threatened to pull out of the tournament if Pycroft, who was supposed to officiate the UAE game as well, was not reassigned. The match went ahead after an hour’s delay, following a hasty meeting between Pycroft and the leadership group of Pakistan cricket.

PCB claimed that Pycroft had “apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”, but sources familiar with the situation maintain it was an “expression of regret over the misunderstanding and miscommunication” around the incident, rather than an apology.

PCB had sent an official complaint to ICC’s General Manager of Cricket Wasim Khan between Sunday night and Monday morning following the loss to India, spelling out the sequence of events before the toss and accusing Pycroft of misconduct. The complaint said that PCB was alarmed “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”.

PCB also said that 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” and demanded that he be removed from the roster of Asia Cup officials immediately.

ICC, in their first response on September 15, told PCB that the complaint was “carefully investigated”, but there was ” no case to answer on the part of Mr Pycroft”, and the match referee was at no fault. During their review of the entire situation, ICC spoke to Pycroft, the other match and tournament officials and Andrew Russell, the tournament director.

ICC explained that Pycroft’s communication to the Pakistan captain not to shake hands with Suryakumar was him “following clear direction” from the ACC venue manager, having received the message on “short notice”. ICC said that the under-fire match referee had dealt with the situation professionally, “In acting as he did, the match referee was committed to preserving the sanctity of the toss and avoiding any potential embarrassment that might have arisen.”

ICC also said that the match referee’s role was not to “regulate any team- or tournament-specific protocol that has been agreed outside of the area of play” and the real issue was the handshake not taking place, which was a “matter” to be addressed and resolved by the tournament organisers and the ones “who took the actual decision”.

ICC’s email to PCB also stated that a change of match officials at “request or insistence” of any team would set an “extremely dangerous and unfortunate precedent”.

PCB then expressed their “disappointment” at ICC for not holding Pycroft guilty, pointing to “glaring discrepancies”. The board also said that ICC failed to seek “complete evidence/version of events” from witnesses who had “actually seen” what it described as Pycroft’s “offensive conduct”. PCB also said that ICC had not spoken to Agha or Pakistan’s team management during its review, calling it a “one-sided process”.

PCB also questioned how a match referee could be a messenger conveying directives violating the spirit of cricket. PCB said that Pycroft should have “unequivocally refused” when asked to tell Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar. In another email on Wednesday, the ICC said that PCB had all opportunities to “provide any supporting documentation or evidence” to back their claims against Pycroft, but none had been received by them at all.

Amid this back and forth with ICC, PCB considered the idea of pulling out of Asia Cup, saying that their government had advised it to do so had Pycroft not been removed. The PCB chairman and ACC president, Mohsin Naqvi, is the country’s interior minister and an influential figure within the government.

A stalemate ensued as on Tuesday evening, the Pakistan team trained, but cancelled their pre-match presser. On Wednesday, after a series of emails in the morning, a video call was arranged during Dubai’s afternoon time between ICC officials, PCB officials and those of the Emirates Cricket Board. ICC offered PCB a chance to talk through its case and arguments. But by the end, both sides were adamant in their stand, with PCB asking for Pycroft’s removal and ICC insisting that he was not at fault for any breach.

Around 4 pm Dubai time, two hours before the toss between the UAE and Pakistan, another video call was arranged between the same people, and both sides did not relent at all and were still adamant in their views. Pakistan players were asked to stay inside their hotel and not leave for the ground, having been scheduled to leave at 4:30 PM.

With time running out, a call between Wasim Khan and ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta is believed to have suggested a meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team. PCB officials, who were all for it, took the idea to Naqvi and even consulted with former board heads Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja. He agreed, ICC was told, and Pakistan left for the stadium at 4:50 PM.

The players arrived at Dubai International Stadium half an hour before the rescheduled toss at 7 PM local time, and Pycroft had a meeting with Agha, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson and team manager Naved Akram Cheema in a room with Wasim Khan. Pycroft is, as per ESPNCricinfo, believed to have started the conversation by asking Pakistan participants about their exact grievances and explained why he acted the way he did, suggesting that he was merely a messenger rather than being responsible for the ‘no-handshake’ directive itself.

The match referee also expressed regret for “miscommunication and misunderstanding” around the situation, and in particular, how captain Agha found himself in such a situation before a marquee clash. Pycroft also explained that not telling Agha to let him go to shake hands with Suryakumar would have made things more problematic.

Soon after the meeting, PCB released a statement claiming an apology came from the match referee. ICC is believed to be unhappy with it, and the idea of a response “clarifying” the situation was discussed, though it is still uncertain if it would be made. PCB also released a short video of the meeting despite concerns raised during it that a video would be recorded. The video was allowed to be posted without an audio.

PCB also said that the ICC had expressed “its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match”. The chances of it staying slim, not least because it is not clear what the inquiry would focus on, given the ICC repeatedly communicated to PCB that Pycroft was not at fault. (ANI)