Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Back Down on Boycott Threat, Will Play UAE Match After Agreement
Synopsis
Pakistan threatened to boycott the Asia Cup 2025 after the ICC rejected their demand to remove the match referee following India’s handshake refusal. The threat was withdrawn after a compromise, letting them play their crucial do-or-die match vs UAE.
The Pakistan cricket team’s threat to boycott their ongoing Asia Cup 2025 campaign if ICC rejects their demand to remove the match referee, Andy Pycroft, following Team India’s refusal to shake hands with them, was eventually withdrawn after discussions led to an alternative appointment.
On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB )'s demand to remove Andy Pycroft as a match referee for the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 after Team India refused to shake hands with Salman Ali Agha’s side as a mark of protest against the Pahalgam terror attack. In a statement on social media, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi lodged a complaint with the ICC for the removal of a Zimbabwean official for allegedly violating the code of conduct.
After the cricket world governing body rejected PCB's demand, the pre-match press conference was cancelled by Pakistan team management, further sparking speculations around their possibility of boycotting their final group stage match against the UAE, which will take place on Wednesday, September 17.
Pakistan makes U-Turn on Boycott Threat
Pakistan, who had earlier threatened to pull out of the Asia Cup over the referee dispute, eventually decided to play their final group stage against the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday.
As per the report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), the PCB and ICC came to a ‘middle of the road’ agreement by replacing Andy Pycroft with Richie Richardson as a match referee for all Pakistan matches in the ongoing Asia Cup. Since ICC did not pay heed to PCB’s demand for Pycroft’s removal, the compromise allowed Pakistan to continue participating in the tournament without escalating the dispute over India’s handshake row, ensuring their clash against the UAE goes ahead as scheduled.
Despite the uncertainty over their participation in the Asia Cup 2025, Pakistan players had a training session at the ICC Academy in Dubai, as PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was awaiting a nod from the Pakistan Government before giving the final approval for the team to take part in the UAE clash.
Earlier in the day, a source close to the PCB was not willing to reveal their stance on the boycott of the match against the UAE.
“They want to keep cards close to the chest and not answer any questions about the boycott," a PCB insider had told PTI.
A do-or-die match for Pakistan
Pakistan’s upcoming and final group stage match against the UAE is more like a virtual knockout as they must win in order to keep their hopes alive for the Super 4 stage. The Men in Green had a brilliant start to their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a commanding 93-run win over debutant Oman at the Dubai International Stadium.
However, Pakistan’s hopes of securing their spot in the Super 4 stage were dented after losing to Team India by seven wickets on Sunday, September 14. With a win and a defeat, Pakistan are currently second at the points table with two points from two matches. The match against the UAE is crucial for Pakistan in order to advance to the knockout stage.
If the UAE defeat Pakistan, they will be eliminated from the Asia Cup 2025, ending their campaign at the group stage and handing Super 4 qualification to the hosts. As of now, only two teams, Team India and Sri Lanka, have qualified for the Super 4 stage.