Former Pakistan cricketer and erstwhile PC chairman Ramiz Raja has raised a storm of controversy with scathing comments against ICC match referee Andy Pycroft. Raja referred to Pycroft as India's "permanent fixer" and accused him of handing out undue benefits to Team India. But an examination of ICC guidelines and match statistics reveals that the charges are absolutely baseless. Ramiz Raja's Explosive Allegations Speaking in the wake of the Asia Cup 2025 handshake controversy, Raja accused: "Andy Pyrcroft is the favorite of Team India.... I think he is a permanent fixer for them. This blatant, one-sided, and it should not happen on a neutral platform." Watch the video here: Controversial match referee “Andy Pycroft is a favourite of India. He has been the referee 90 times in India's matches” says Ramiz Raja pic.twitter.com/JdwGi54nJ5 — Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) September 17, 2025 The quote went viral on social media, but analytics and statistics indicate that it was more of an overreaction to recent events rather than a fact. Also Read | Did Andy Pycroft Really Apologise to Pakistan? Here’s the Truth What Does a Match Referee Really Do? Raja's observations miss the real function of a match referee. In contrast to umpires who decide on-field, referees work behind the scenes. Their responsibilities are: Enforcing the ICC Code of Conduct Dealing with disciplinary matters Keeping track of player conduct Submitting post-match reports Referees do not make dismissals, boundaries, or no-ball calls, which means they cannot affect the outcome of matches. ICC Appointment Protocols Guarantee Neutrality The ICC is stern when it comes to refereeing assignments and the teams do not get a say in the matter. Assignments are done to ensure fairness and impartiality. Also Read | Pakistan Agrees to 'No-Handshake' Policy for Super Four Clash vs India The Numbers Tell the Story Raja also stated that Pycroft had officiated 90 India matches, but the actual facts paint a different picture. Pycroft had officiated 124 India matches, but is it the highest for any nation? The answer is no. He has been a match referee in 135 matches of South Africa, the most for any country. Matches (Tests/ODIs/T20Is) officiated (as a referee) by Andy Pycroft: Team/Country Matches Officiated by Andy Pycroft South Africa 135 Sri Lanka 132 India 124 England 107 Pakistan 102 Bangladesh 83 Australia 80 New Zealand 78 West Indies 76 Zimbabwe 64 Afghanistan 32 Ireland 16 Netherlands 14 U.A.E 9 Namibia 7 Oman 5 Hong Kong 3 Scotland 1 (Number as of 17th September 2025) India comes in third on the list, after South Africa and Sri Lanka. This serves to directly contradict Raja's assertion that Pycroft has officiated "90 matches" of India, as the number is a much higher one that is evenly distributed over countries. This further raises questions on the credibility of the statements given by him as it clearly shows that he as not gone through the numbers before making any claims. Conclusion Ramiz Raja's words appear more emotive than real, uttered in the heat of the Asia Cup handshake controversy. The truth is evident, Andy Pycroft is not India's "fixer" but an impartial ICC official whose responsibilities are assigned to all cricket-playing countries.