The Pakistan-UAE Asia Cup match in Dubai eventually started an hour late on Wednesday evening, and only after a flurry of phone calls, statements and hurried taxi rides. At one stage, insiders feared Pakistan might not turn up at all. In the end, common sense – and an apology – prevailed.
Key facts first. Andy Pycroft, the former Zimbabwe batter, remained in place as match referee despite the PCB’s request for his removal. The board was furious with Pycroft after the India-Pakistan game on 14 September, when the customary pre- and post-match handshakes never happened. The ICC stuck to its guns, Pycroft said sorry, and the Asia Cup rolled on.
The PCB released its statement just minutes before the delayed toss, timed for 7 pm local. It read, in part:
“Andy Pycroft had barred the captains of India and Pakistan from shaking hands during their match.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had strongly reacted to Andy Pycroft’s actions. Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologised. The ICC has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match.”
That apology settled the immediate dispute, but only after a genuinely tense afternoon. Pakistan’s squad were told to stay put in their hotel long past the scheduled 4.30 pm departure. Bags were stacked in the foyer, yet no-one moved. Meanwhile in Lahore, PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi called an impromptu gathering at Gaddafi Stadium, summoning former chairmen Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi for advice. Forty-five minutes later Naqvi emerged, announced the players would travel, and the team coach finally rolled through Dubai traffic.
“We requested the ICC to do an inquiry on the code of conduct violations on 14th September,” Naqvi told reporters after play began. “Politics and cricket shouldn’t be mixed. Leave cricket as a sport.”
Those simple lines captured the PCB’s position: offended, yet reluctant to blow up the tournament. Board officials insist Pycroft told both captains not to shake hands before the India match, and that the same message reached the umpiring team. India duly followed the instruction; Pakistan claim they were left looking unsporting when cameras caught the apparent snub. Captain Salman Ali Agha skipped the presentation ceremony in protest – a point that still rankles. Coach Mike Hesson fronted the post-match press instead.
By Tuesday night the situation had drifted. Pakistan cancelled the usual pre-game media conference but still trained under the lights. A late statement spoke of “consultations” over whether to continue in the Asia Cup, promising a decision that would serve “the interest of Pakistan”. Few in the press box quite believed a withdrawal would happen, yet the threat was real enough for broadcasters to prep emergency schedules.
Wednesday’s delay underlined the uncertainty. Under ACC playing conditions, teams must be at the ground 90 minutes before the toss; Pakistan made it with less than 40. UAE’s players stretched in near-silence while stewards fielded anxious questions from early-bird supporters. One fan in a Wasim Akram shirt summed it up: “We bought tickets weeks ago – just let them play.”
From an ICC standpoint the episode looked needless. Officials privately maintain there was never an instruction to ban handshakes, only a muddled conversation about timings. Pycroft’s apology, though terse, satisfied the letter of the PCB complaint and avoided a public showdown. A formal inquiry, should it proceed, will focus on communication protocols rather than headline-grabbing sanctions.
What next? On the field, Pakistan still need to beat UAE to keep semi-final hopes in their own hands. Off it, the board and its chair can ill-afford fresh flashpoints, especially with an ICC meeting scheduled next month. A senior official, speaking off the record, put it plainly: “No-one wins if we’re seen as disruptive. We’ve made our point – now the team must deliver.”
And that, perhaps, is the crux. Talk of boycotts grabs attention, but runs and wickets decide tournaments. By the time UAE’s openers walked out at 7.30 pm, the crowd noise drowned out the politics – exactly how most people prefer it.
