Asia Cup-2025: Pakistan Team Arrives Late for Match Against UAE Amidst Handshake Controversy
The Pakistan cricket team has arrived at Dubai Stadium to play against the UAE in the Asia Cup-2025 on Wednesday. The match will start an hour later than planned.
Originally, the match was set to begin at 8 pm and the toss at 7:30 pm, but the team arrived late. Now, the toss will happen at 8:30 pm, and the match will start at 9 pm.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted referee Andy Pycroft to be removed from all Pakistan matches, but the ICC has not agreed to this demand. Pycroft will still be the referee for today’s game.
On September 14, Pakistan played against India, and the Indian players did not shake hands with the Pakistani players after the match. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav also did not shake hands with Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha during the toss. Pakistan complained to referee Pycroft about this.
When Pycroft did not take any action, the PCB asked for him to be removed, but the ICC refused. Some reports said that if Pycroft was not removed, Pakistan might withdraw from the Asia Cup.
The Pakistani players shook hands among themselves since the Indian players did not. The PCB claimed that the referee told the captains not to shake hands after the toss due to pressure from the Indian team.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated that Pycroft did not follow the ICC rules and the spirit of cricket.