NEW DELHI: In a stunning development that could shake the cricketing world, Pakistan has threatened to withdraw from the remaining matches of the Asia Cup if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the tournament panel, TimesofIndia.com reported.

Pakistan's latest threat to pull out of the Asia Cup stems from the ongoing fallout of the post-match handshake controversy that erupted after their clash with India on Sunday.

What began as a minor incident has now snowballed into a full-blown dispute, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) escalating the matter to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

On Monday, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that a formal complaint had been lodged, demanding the "immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup." The board has accused him of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC's Spirit of Cricket guidelines.

"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'.

The PCB had earlier stated that Pycroft "asked (Pakistan) captain Salman Ali Agha, at the time of the toss, not to shake hands with his Indian counterpart."

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.

"Together, we came here, we took a call and I feel we came here just to play the game. I think we gave the proper reply," Suryakumar said.