In the high-pressure environment of international cricket, few people make Pakistan angrier than Andy Pycroft. The veteran Zimbabwean match referee was previously a hard-nosed opener for his country, and after direct experience gained as a coach, he became one of the ICC’s most seasoned officials; he has officiated around 700 matches across formats. 

But his name has become synonymous for Pakistan. The bowling bans that prematurely ended two insufferable star careers for Misbah-ul-Haq, the controversial ‘handshake’ disgrace during the 2025 Asia Cup, it’s all put Pycroft in the realm of an antagonist, rather than quiet and impartial judge, in the cricketing playbook of Pakistan.

The Bowling Action Saga: Why Pakistan Every Time?

Pycroft's awkward relationship with Pakistan goes back more than 20 years beginning with dubious reports of bowling actions. While officials do not personally accuse actions umpires trigger a report, officials' endorsement of his frequent presence in pivotal moments continues to produce suspicion in match-fixing affairs.

Some key flashpoints were:

• 2001 - Shoaib Malik - reported for elbow extension issues in his off-spin. Cleared later, but suspicions continued even as he later scored a Test hundred.
• 2014 - Saeed Ajmal - reported after the Galle Test vs Sri Lanka when he was at the pinnacle of his career. Biomechanical tests ultimately deemed him remedially banned at his peak. Ajmal's demise over the next 12 months ended a formidable streak of bowling even as he took all of 96 Test wickets in 2013.
• 2014 - Mohammad Hafeez - reported after the first Test of the series in Abu Dhabi vs New Zealand. He received a 12-month suspension. While he re-modeled his action he never regained his all-rounder prowess.

For Pakistan fans, it was more than coincidence. Losing two premier spinners in a specific era where rival teams were trying to decode changes to spin made it feel like a witch hunt of sorts when playing Pakistan, Ajmal's demise in particular was memorable and will leave scars for animosity for 5 tours.

Fact-check with scrutiny suggests that Pycroft didn't single handedly "target" them. He didn't personally recommend action. He chose to act as per ICC and IRB protocols, but the public narrative stuck; Why were two of Pakistan's major spinners ruined under his watch?

The 2025 Asia Cup: A Handshake That Never Took Place

The long-standing mistrust came to a head on September 14, 2025 in Dubai during the India-Pakistan matchup in the Asia Cup. While the match ended with an easy win for India, the real story lived off the field.

In the weeks prior, following a heinous terror attack in Pahalgam, India’s Government, BCCI, and others counselled against formal courties. In the case of the toss, it wasn’t a handshake, reportedly at Pycroft’s suggestion, to avoid an embarrassing situation on broadcast. After the match, India’s players skipped the dramatics entirely, holding a show of respect for the victims.

Mike Hesson and Salman Ali Agha, coach and manager of Pakistan, waited to no avail. The day after the match, PCB delivered an astounding complaint, chastising Pycroft for breaching the Spirit of Cricket and favouring India.

• PCB demanded one thing: Pycroft be removed immediately.
• ICC determined this was not going to happen and stated he acted on ACC instructions, not on behalf of India.
• Compromise: by September 17, out of the limelight, Pycroft was replaced for the remainder of Pakistan’s matches by Richie Richardson.

On social media, Pycroft was instantly labeled “the villain”, with viral posts recirculating images of him with Shoaib Malik in 2001, and Suryakumar Yadav again, in 2025. Pakistani media took the opportunity to amplify PCB’s outrage, while Indian media was much more dismissive, framing it as a PCB over-reaction.

ALSO SEE: Suryakumar Yadav’s birthday post for PM Modi reignites IND vs PAK handshake controversy

Biased or Convenient Scapegoat?

At 69, Pycroft is no stranger to the spotlight. He has been a member of the ICC Elite Panel since 2005, required to apply the rules in many politically sensitive matches. There has never been any substantive proof of misconduct, and in the Asia Cup inquiry, the ICC exonerated him.

Nonetheless, Pycroft personifies cricket's power dynamic through Pakistan's eyes. The bans on Ajmal and Hafeez were grievous blows to a golden generation of cricketers. The handshake dismissal was emblematic of India's position in the power dynamic. Even a fake X account this year impersonating him, a hoax that was ultimately discredited, only fed the idea that he was biased.

For others he is simply a scapegoat. Suspicious actions were signalled by the umpires across the globe- from Sri Lanka's Senanayake to New Zealand's Williamson- and according to the ICC it is not a requirement to shake hands with players from the opposing team. The underlying fact is in a sport such as cricket which is politically a bit of a tinderbox - when India and Pakistan face each other, neutrality almost impossible.

Beyond Pycroft: Spirit, Politics, and the Game

This episode raises a more general question: what is the role of officials when cricket is caught up in a shorthand for geopolitics? For Pakistan, getting rid of Pycroft was a symbolic victory; for India, security was prioritized ahead of sentiment.

Pycroft himself has allowed the dust to settle, as he has done in the past; but he reminds us that, in South Asia’s most intense cricketing rivalry, officials and umpires do not just manage the laws of cricket, they become the fulcrum for animosity.

In the words of one frustrated supporter on social media: “PCB should be focusing on winning games not referees”, only to add that this meeting nonetheless offered proof everything is possible with a Pycroft officiating. The notion of Pycroft as villain is too big, too recent for many to move on.