The ongoing Asia Cup has not only seen fierce fighting on the field, but also a political struggle off. Pakistan had formally asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to remove referee Andy Pycroft after their collision against India in Dubai on September 14. But that question hit a wall thanks to the new CEO of the ICC, Sanjog Gupta.
Pakistan accused Pycroft of façade cladding with India and claimed that he told Captains not to exchange team magazines and advised skipper Salman Ali Agha against shaking hands with Suryakumar Yadav.
The controversy in the handshake was blown up after Suryakumar explained that his decision was a tribute to victims of Pahalgam’s terror attack and a show of solidarity with Indian troops involved in Operation Sindoor.
The PCB wanted Richie Richardson Pycroft to replace the rest of their Asia Cup competitions, but the ICC, led by Gupta, refused.
An internal investigation did not find a violation of rules or protocols by the Zimbabwean officer. Six e -mails went back and forth between the ICC and PCB, but the administrative body was determined and said that there was “no valid reason” to remove Pycroft.
Sources say that an idea was driven from the ground to replace Pycroft for the Pakistan match against the VAE on September 17. Gupta rejected that downright, warning that it would create a dangerously precedent where matcha officers can be the target without proof.
Who is Sanjog Gupta?
Gupta, who became ICC CEO in July 2025, is the first Indian to hold the position. Before he came to the ICC, he printed in sports broadcasts, leading Jiostar Sports and earlier Disney star.
He was behind innovations such as multilingual feeds, digital-first cricket coverage and important boosts for women’s sports. He also helped scales the IPL, ICC events, ISL and Pro Kabaddi in enormous properties.
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