The Pakistan cricket team will not play their men’s Asia Cup 2025 match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, according to media reports.
Geo News reported that the team has been given official instructions to return to their rooms, with the team bus parking outside the entrance to unload the players’ equipment.
Earlier, footage run by DawnNewsTV showed team staff loading kit bags into a bus outside the players’ hotel, adding that the bus was headed to the stadium.
The PCB will take a final call regarding the national team’s participation in the Asia Cup today after the handshake controversy that unfolded in their match against archrivals India.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet made any final decision regarding the Asia Cup,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said in a statement that came late on Tuesday night, following what Dawn learnt was a meeting involving officials from the board and the government in Islamabad.
“Consultations are ongoing in this regard, and a final decision will be made by tomorrow (Wednesday),” the spokesperson added. “The decision will be made keeping in view Pakistan’s interests.”
The PCB correspondence was followed by Pakistan’s decision to not hold their pre-match press conference ahead of their final Group ‘A’ fixture against hosts UAE.
The Pakistan team did, however, turn up for practice on the eve of the game.
The PCB was awaiting a response from the International Cricket Council over a protest about match referee Andy Pycroft.
The Zimbabwean oversaw Sunday’s politically charged clash with India, after which the victorious India team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.
The PCB alleged that Pycroft told Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav before the match.
Pycroft is scheduled to be the match referee for the game on Wednesday as reports coming out from India claimed the ICC had rejected Pakistan’s demand.
This is not the first time teams have tried to change a match official in international cricket. India, in a 2001 test against South Africa, tried to have match referee Mike Denness removed, according to a report by Cricinfo.
The Indian and South African cricket boards agreed to remove Denness; however, the decision was not taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
More to follow
