The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reached a compromise with the International Cricket Council (ICC). This means that the Pakistan team will play the crucial match against the UAE today, September 17.
PCB Compromise with ICC: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally reached a compromise with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the removal of Andy Pycroft as match referee for the Asia Cup 2025. It is known that the Pakistani team had threatened to boycott their match against the UAE in the tournament if the official was not removed. Although the ICC rejected the PCB's demand on Tuesday, a report now claims that the PCB has reached a compromise with the ICC and will play the match against the UAE on 17 September.
According to a media agency report, the PCB has reached a compromise with the ICC regarding Andy Pycroft. Richie Richardson, the initially appointed official, will now be the match referee for Wednesday's Pakistan versus UAE match. It is being reported that the PCB's letter initially written to the ICC was rejected by their former chairman, Wasim Khan.
Earlier, a report claimed that the PCB was to hold a meeting on Tuesday night to decide on its future strategy in the Asia Cup. The report stated that the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, was awaiting his return to Lahore from Islamabad, where he had gone to consult the government on the future of their participation in the event.
The report stated that Naqvi's Islamabad visit, while ostensibly a routine trip given his ministerial position in the Pakistan government, was actually to discuss the handshake controversy, its implications, and the impasse with the ICC over Pycroft.
It is understood that the Indian cricket team completed its practice session on Tuesday before the arrival of the Pakistani team to avoid any potential conflict. It will now be interesting to see what the atmosphere will be like during the Super-4 clash if the Pakistan team qualifies.