Asia Cup: Pakistan vs UAE match delayed by an hour; toss set to take place at 8:30 PM IST

Dubai, Sep 17 (IANS) The 2025 Asia Cup clash between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been delayed by an hour, with the match now set to begin at 7:30 PM local time (9:00 PM IST) at the Dubai International Stadium. 

The toss will take place at 7:00 PM local (8:30 PM IST), tournament organisers confirmed on Monday evening after the Pakistan team caused drama by initially refusing to take the team bus to travel to the stadium.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi later wrote on social media: “We have asked the Pakistan team to depart for the Dubai Cricket Stadium. Further details to follow.”

The PCB had earlier stopped the team from leaving for the stadium, leading to reports that it had withdrawn the team from the Asia Cup, alleging inaction and bias by match officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Indian players refused to shake hands with their opponents after their league match.

The late arrival adds further drama to a fixture already shadowed by controversy surrounding match referee Andy Pycroft. The PCB had formally requested the ICC to remove Pycroft from officiating the UAE match, but the appeal was rejected.

Pycroft was the referee in the high-voltage India–Pakistan clash earlier in the tournament, which ended in acrimony after the two teams walked off without shaking hands.

The PCB squarely blamed the Zimbabwean official, claiming he had advised skipper Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and even blocked the customary exchange of team sheets.

In its letter of complaint to the ICC, the PCB alleged: “This misconduct violates Article 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Match Officials, which specifically makes it an offence for the Match Referee to conduct himself in a manner which is contrary to the spirit of the game and violates the MCC Laws.”

The board further argued: “Given the gravity, political nature/ background, and far-reaching consequences and repercussions, the misconduct has also caused disrepute to the game.”

While the ICC has stood by its match official, the PCB’s frustration spilt into matchday logistics, raising tensions ahead of what is effectively a virtual knockout between Pakistan and the UAE. With both sides level on points behind already-qualified India, the stakes could not be higher — though events off the field have already ensured this contest is being played under extraordinary circumstances.

--IANS

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