ICC refuses to budge despite pressure; Pakistan arrives on the field, match likely to go ahead

DUBAI: Pakistan cricket team backs down from threat to boycott match against UAE. Reports are now emerging that the UAE-Pakistan match will start at 9 pm Indian time, an hour late. Pakistani players have reached the Dubai Cricket Stadium, the venue of the match, from their hotel. The match was supposed to start at 8 pm. The PCB had demanded that match referee Andy Pycroft, who behaved in a biased manner in the match against India, be removed from the panel.

Pycroft is the referee for the UAE-Pakistan match. The Pakistan Cricket Board had taken the stand that Pakistan would not be interested in playing if he was the referee. The PCB had filed a complaint with the ICC demanding that Pycroft be removed from the refereeing position. However, the ICC stood firm on its position that Andy Pycroft could not be removed from the refereeing position. This softened Pakistan's stance.

Pakistan had been preparing to pull out of the tournament, blaming Pycroft for the lack of handshakes between Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha during the toss and the lack of handshakes between players from both teams after the match against India on Sunday. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier said that Pakistan was more likely to pull out if Pycroft was not removed from the refereeing panel.

Naqvi had said on Monday that the PCB has demanded the immediate removal of the match referee for allegedly violating the ICC Code of Conduct and MCC rules. The PCB had filed a complaint with the ICC alleging that the match referee violated the ICC Code of Conduct and MCC rules relating to the spirit of cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board claimed match referee Andy Pycroft instructed Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with India's Suryakumar Yadav at the toss. The board said that the Pakistan team management had lodged a protest, alleging that this behavior was against the spirit of sportsmanship.