Follow UsThe Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reportedly pulled their national team out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, after their demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the rest of the matches was not met. Pycroft had allegedly advised the India and Pakistan captains not to shake hands at the toss during their match on September 14 (Sunday) in Dubai.
The team has been told to stay in the hotel room ahead of their must-win encounter against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
After the match, the Indian team did not shake hands with the Pakistan team either, and the PCB was unhappy with the situation and had also written to the ICC about the same, as they believed that the Suryakumar Yadav-led team had violated the spirit of cricket.
The animosity between the two countries comes after Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed several innocent people. As a result, there were calls from many in India to boycott the match, but it went ahead after the Indian government's approval, stating that the team was free to engage with Pakistan at World Cups and Asia Cups.
According to the statement, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had said that its participation in the tournament would be "detrimental to the honour and prestige of our nation."
Pakistan's exit from the Asia Cup allows the UAE to go through to the Super Fours for the first time. Salman Ali Agha's men opened their Asia Cup campaign with a 93-run win over Oman, before succumbing to a seven-wicket loss at the hands of India.