Last Updated on 3 days by Charbel Coorey
Pakistan was strongly considering a boycott of their Asia Cup group match against the UAE after the International Cricket Council declined to remove match referee Andy Pycroft, sources told Geo News.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had formally asked the ICC to relieve Pycroft following the India–Pakistan match in Dubai, a request the global body refused, prompting Pakistan to consider not taking the field for its next fixture.
The dispute stems from the high-profile toss incident when India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav declined the customary handshake with Pakistan’s skipper after India’s seven-wicket win. Pakistan complained and asked the ICC to act by removing the match referee from future fixtures in the tournament. The ICC reviewed the plea and opted not to replace Pycroft, a decision that has reportedly provoked a strong reaction within the PCB.
Pakistan vs UAE match to go ahead
According to ESPNcricinfo, there will be a full game with the first ball to be bowled at 7:30pm local time, an hour after the scheduled start. Pycroft will referee the match.
Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of the PCB and ACC President, held a meeting with former chairs Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi in Lahore. According to PCB spokesperson Amir Mir, “they are discussing the issue [of Pycroft remaining match referee] and are in touch with Dubai over the matter. The match has been delayed by an hour for now.”
Soon after Naqvi confirmed the Pakistan team would be making their way to the Dubai International Stadium. “We have asked the Pakistan team to depart for the Dubai Cricket Stadium. Further details to follow,” he wrote on X.
Assuming the match does go ahead, the Pakistan team will have to switch on quickly in a virtual knockout match against UAE. It has been a week full of distractions for Salman Agha’s team following the handshake saga in the India match. If they lose to the UAE in Dubai, Pakistan will be out of the tournament in what would be a huge disappointment given the promising form they showed in the leadup to the Asia Cup.
