Amid the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) standoff with ICC over handshake controversy, the Pakistani team has decided to play their final group match against the UAE in Asia Cup 2025, according to media reports.
This comes amid ICC warning PCB that UAE will be awarded full points if Pakistan skips the match. The PCB has requested the Asia Cup organisers to delay the match by an hour. "The team has left for the stadium, the match will be delayed by an hour," tournament sources told PTI.
Earlier, Pakistan-based Geo TV reported that the Pakistani side was directed to stay put in their hotel rooms and not to travel to the match venue in the backdrop of boycott speculations.
However, the UAE side had arrived at the stadium on time. They could have entered the Super Four stage if the match was boycotted by Pakistan.
This comes as PCB demanded the ICC to remove Andy Pycroft, who is a former Zimbabwe cricketer, from officiating duties amid partiality allegations. The board also accused Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav of making political comments and demanded ICC to take disciplinary action.
ICC has rejected Pakistan's demand to have Pycroft removed as match referee for a second time. "Pycroft will remain match referee for Wednesday's game and if Pakistan don't turn up, UAE will be awarded full points," tournament sources told PTI.
Pycroft had earlier told Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to refrain from shaking hands with Suryakumar Yadav. PCB also accused Pycroft of not allowing the customary exchange of team-sheets between the two captains.
"This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the Match Referee to conduct himself in a manner, which is contrary to the spirit of game and violates the MCC Laws," the PCB alleged in its first letter of complaint to the ICC.
But sources in the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) pointed out that Pycroft had no role in the controversy and "in fact saved Pakistan from being blind-sided by informing them about what the Indians were planning to do."