UNS :ICC’s match referee Andy Pycroft has apologised to Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha and manager following handshake row after the India clash during Asia Cup 2025.
In a statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the development, saying that match referee Pycroft has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team.
“Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologised,” it said, adding that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation.
Addressing a press conference after the referee’s apology, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi urged the nation to support the team. He added that the board had requested the ICC to conduct an inquiry into the violations that occurred during the Pakistan-India match.
Naqvi said he had also consulted former PCB chairmen Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja over the matter. “I thank Allah that the honour of Pakistan has been upheld,” he remarked, expressing hope that the national side would now perform and deliver on the field.
Former chairman Sethi reiterated that the PCB’s consistent stance has been that politics should not be brought into sport. His successor, Raja, termed the development a victory for Pakistan, urging that the team now prove itself through performance.
