Andy Pycroft will once again oversee India v Pakistan, just nine days after the much-discussed “no-handshake” toss in Abu Dhabi. The ICC has kept faith with the veteran match referee despite Pakistan’s formal request for his “immediate removal”.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged its protest after Pycroft asked captains Salman Agha and Suryakumar Yadav to skip the customary handshake before the group-stage meeting on 14 September. That instruction, delivered on medical advice according to ICC officials, triggered a series of tense exchanges. Pakistan cancelled their next press conference, arrived late for their fixture against the UAE, and held back-room talks that pushed the start time back by an hour. A last-minute conversation between Pycroft and team management eventually cleared the way for play, but the ill-feeling lingered.
Against that backdrop, Sunday’s Super Fours encounter returns to the Dubai International Stadium. India captain Suryakumar downplayed the off-field drama, insisting his side remain focused on cricket.
“I feel our preparations have been really good leading into the tournament. And we had three good games also,” he said on Saturday. “So we are actually focusing on what we can do best. We want to follow all the good habits, which we’ve been doing in the last two-three games. And we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Asked whether prior success over Pakistan offers any advantage, he added: “But yeah, it doesn’t give us an edge because we played them once and we had a good game. Of course, it will be a good game. We’ll have to start well from scratch. And whoever plays well will win the game.”
India completed their group commitments against Oman late on Friday, returning to Dubai in the early hours. They have scheduled only an optional session on Saturday, mindful of niggles and travel fatigue. Pakistan, by contrast, plan a full run-out at the ICC Academy, keen to iron out their middle-order worries and sharpen death-bowling options.
ICC officials privately say they never considered replacing Pycroft, pointing to his three decades of service and a lack of formal breach. Yet they accept that perceptions matter, and there will be added scrutiny on Sunday. A visible handshake at the toss—if permitted—would probably calm nerves on both sides.
For all the background noise, the equation remains simple: victory here places one foot in the final. Both camps know that. The hope, shared by players and officials alike, is that cricket, not protocol, claims the headlines once the first ball is bowled.
