The development came a day after a muted video circulated on social media, with Andy Pycroft in conversation with the Pakistan camp in the Dubai stadium.

The ICC match referee is believed to have said to Pakistan that he was merely the messenger of India's decision not to shake hands on Sunday | ESPN.com

The ICC issued a six-point statement dismissing the PCB’s allegations as “baseless”. It reiterated that Pycroft had committed no offence, and rejected Pakistan’s request to remove him from its panel of referees.

Pakistan had threatened to boycott the match against the UAE if Andy Pycroft was retained as the match referee, blaming him for the “handshake row” in the September 14 match against India

The tone for Sanjog Gupta's term has been established by his handling of the Andy Pycroft incident: he is professional, principled, and unyielding to political pressure.

Speaking to reporters outside the PCB headquarters, Raja said, “Andy Pycroft is the favourite for Team India. He has officiated in 90 Indian games. I think he is a permanent fixer for them. This is blatant, one-sided, and it shouldn’t happen on a neutral platform.”

T he International Cricket Council ( ICC ), on Wednesday, put an end to the handshake saga once and for all after the apex body gave its final verdict to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the Andy Pycroft situation.

The start of Pakistan’s Asia Cup cricket game against United Arab Emirates has been delayed in the fallout of a handshake dispute with archrival India. Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Amir Mir