The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday rejected claims made by the Indian media that the ICC has rejected PCB’s demand for the removal of Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup being played in the United Arab Emirates.

A report published by Indian news outlet India Today stated that the ICC dismissed the PCB’s demand to remove Pycroft from the tournament.

The ICC has also officially informed the PCB of its decision, the report claimed.

The PCB on Monday sent a letter to the ICC, complaining about the inappropriate behaviour by Andy Pycroft, stating that his actions as match referee during the Pakistan-India encounter harmed the spirit of the game.

In a clarification, the PCB rejected the Indian media’s claims and said that, so far, no letter from the ICC has been received.

The PCB reiterated that it will not participate in the remaining matches of the Asia Cup if Andy Pycroft is not removed.

Pakistan is scheduled to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their next Asia Cup fixture tomorrow (Wednesday).

Indian media reports claimed that Andy Pycroft will no longer officiate Pakistan’s matches, and former West Indies cricketer Richie Richardson is expected to replace him as match referee for those games.

Earlier reports suggested that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was exploring a middle-ground solution over Pakistan’s demand for the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft in the ongoing Asia Cup being played in the United Arab Emirates.

Pycroft reportedly told Pakistan captain Agha Salman that there would be no handshake during the toss at the high-stakes match against India.

He also allegedly instructed Pakistan’s media manager not to record the incident.

Following the match, Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema conveyed his concerns to tournament director Andrew Russel, who reportedly said they were acting under instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) — and later added that the instructions had actually come from the Indian government.

To break the standoff, both the ACC and the International Cricket Council (ICC) held discussions to address the issue.

One of the proposals under consideration is to remove Andy Pycroft from officiating only in Pakistan’s matches, rather than from the entire tournament.

According to Indian media reports, Richie Richardson could replace Pycroft in matches involving Pakistan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a firm stance that it will not participate in the remaining matches of the Asia Cup if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed.