A major update has arrived ahead of the India vs England (IND vs ENG) Semi-Final match of the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup. Match officials for the Semi-Final has announced on March 3. Controversial Andy Pycroft is appointed as the match referee for the high-profile clash on March 5 in Mumbai. 

According to recent reports, Chris Gaffaney and Allahuddien Paleker will be the On-field umpires for the match. Adrian Holdstock and Paul Reiffel will be there as the third and fourth umpires, respectively, while Andy Pycroft is appointed as the match referee.

Full List of Match Officials of the India vs England Semi-Final, T20 World Cup 2026:

On-field Umpire - Chris Gaffaney and Allahuddien Paleker

Third Umpire - Adrian Holdstock

Fourth Umpire - Paul Reiffel

Match Referee - Andy Pycroft

Read More: Former Pakistan batter asks ICC to change rules ahead of IND vs ENG Semi-Final of T20 World Cup 2026

During the Asia Cup 2025, Andy Pycroft made headlines because of the no-handshake row. In the tournament, Team India refused to shake hands with their arch-rivals Pakistan in protest of the Pahalgam terror attack incident.

In reply to India’s on-field act, Pakistan accused the match referee in charge, Andy Pycroft. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued him for breaching ICC codes as well as the spirit of the game. In a strong demand, the PCB asked ICC to remove Pycroft from the rest of the tournament.

Why is the match referee Andy Pycroft controversial?

According to an ESPNCricinfo report, “As Pycroft walked on to the field, he was told by the ACC venue manager that the BCCI had communicated - with the Indian government's approval - that there would be no handshake between the captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha.”

“Andy Pycroft had barred the captains of India and Pakistan from shaking hands during their match. The Pakistan Cricket Board had strongly reacted to Andy Pycroft's actions. Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologised. The ICC has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match”, PCB stated in an official statement.