Mute and Mocked: PCB’s ‘apology’ video of Andy Pycroft turns into social media circus

The "no-handshake" controversy is still going strong at the Asia Cup 2025. And amidst this a video of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management interacting with ICC match referee Andy Pycroft has gone viral on social media. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, and a PCB official are seen interacting with Pycroft in the video, which reportedly has been released by the PCB.

The video is from the chaotic Wednesday evening in Dubai mostly surrounding Pakistan's further participation in the tournament. The drama started with the Men in Green's unwillingness to play the match against UAE, ultimately resulting in a delay by an hour from its scheduled start. Following this, PCB posted the video, implying that Pycroft was expressing regret to the team members who were upset.

But rather than being taken seriously, the video drew trolls and scathing remarks from fans. The majority of trolls and comments exposed the PCB's ignorance in the recommendation they attempted to make by uploading a "Muted" video.

The controversy erupted during the India-Pakistan encounter in Dubai last Sunday, which was also the first meeting between the two nations following the recent geopolitical turmoil after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.

Despite appeals of a boycott from the majority of Indians, the Men In Blue took the field against Pakistan but ended up making a strong statement in its own distinctive way.