Ahead of Pakistan's must-win group-stage clash against the UAE, the ICC confirmed that match referee Andy Pycroft will oversee Wednesday’s game, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) repeated requests for his removal.

According to PCB's statement, Pycroft apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan team, describing the situation as a miscommunication. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also indicated its willingness to investigate any potential violations of the Code of Conduct during the match.

Read PCB's full statement: ICC's controversial match referee Andy Pycroft has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistani cricket team.

Andy Pycroft had prohibited the captains of both teams from shaking hands during the India-Pakistan match.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had strongly reacted to Andy Pycroft's action.

Andy Pycroft termed the incident on September 14 as a result of miscommunication and apologised.

The ICC has expressed its readiness to investigate the violation of the Code of Conduct during the match on September 14.

The controversy stems from the high-profile India-Pakistan match on September 14, during which India refused to shake hands with Pakistan players following a 7-wicket victory in Dubai.

Adding to the tension, Pycroft had prohibited the captains of both teams from exchanging handshakes — a decision that drew strong criticism from the PCB. In protest, Pakistan also withdrew from the post-match presentation ceremony.

The PCB had formally lodged two complaints against Pycroft, citing breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC laws relating to the spirit of cricket, and even threatened to withdraw from the tournament if their concerns were not addressed.

Tensions continued on Wednesday when Pakistan arrived late at Dubai International Stadium, delaying the match against UAE by an hour and leaving the hotel just over an hour before the toss. The team had cancelled its pre-match press conference on Tuesday but completed a practice session as scheduled.

Despite the protests and procedural delays, the ICC denied the PCB’s request to remove Pycroft, leaving the controversial referee in charge of Pakistan’s crucial final group-stage match.