NEW DELHI: After reports suggested that Pakistan has threatened to pull out of the Asia Cup if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the tournament, it now appears that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is not yielding to PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi's demand, Cricbuzz reported.

The PCB held Pycroft responsible for the handshake controversy, claiming that he was the one who asked the captains to skip the pre-match handshake ritual. The Indian players' refusal to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts after the match did not sit well with the PCB, which first lodged a protest with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and is now seeking ICC intervention.

Naqvi is the current head of ACC. The ICC, on the other hand, is helmed by India's Jay Shah. The Asia Cup, however, is not an ICC event and is managed by the ACC.

"The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup," Naqvi said on 'X'.

However, it remains to be seen whether the ICC will respond to Naqvi's mail, as there appear to be no sufficient grounds to accede to the PCB's request.

According to the MCC laws, shaking hands with opposition players before or after a match is not mandatory, a point the ICC might emphasise in its response to the PCB.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav had justified his team's stand after the seven-wicket win on Sunday, stating that it was meant to show solidarity with the families of Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists.