Unprecedented drama in the Asia Cup on Wednesday saw the Group-A fixture between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium delayed by an hour as Salman Agha’s men threatened to pull out of the tournament over its demand for match referee Andy Pycroft to be removed from the tournament.

The contest was supposed to begin at 6.30 p.m. local time, but the Pakistan team stayed put in its hotel beyond 5 p.m. even as the UAE players had begun warming up at the venue. The Pakistan players and support staff eventually left their hotel at 5.25 p.m. and entered the arena only at 6.30 p.m.

The trigger

Pakistan’s threats arose from India not exchanging handshakes with its players before or after the marquee game on September 14.

In the aftermath, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleged that Pycroft had asked the captains to not shake hands at the time of the toss, and sought the Zimbabwean’s removal.

Despite the brouhaha, Pycroft stayed on as the match referee for Wednesday’s game.

Once the match began, the PCB sent out a statement that read: “ICC match referee Andy Pycroft has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Pycroft had prohibited the captains of both teams from shaking hands during the India-Pakistan match. The Pakistan Cricket Board had strongly reacted to this action by Pycroft. Pycroft described the incident on September 14 as a result of miscommunication and apologised. The ICC has expressed readiness to investigate the violation of the Code of Conduct during the match on September 14.”

However, a source in the ICC made it clear that Pycroft had apologised to the PCB only for the miscommunication and not the incident itself.

According to those in the know, Pycroft was simply passing on the message of the Asian Cricket Council’s venue manager to the captains of India and Pakistan at the toss.

“The ICC’s review found that Pycroft had acted in complete accordance of the Code of Conduct and highlighted to the PCB how there were no grounds for his removal or re-assignment of duties. The PCB had sent two letters to the ICC, and got a response to both. The ICC has asked the PCB to provide further information or evidence that demonstrates any violation. It is awaiting the same,” the source told The Hindu.

The UAE dished out a spirited show but it blew away against Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz’s firepower as Pakistan’s hot form stayed intact with a 31-run victory in the ongoing T20I Tri-Series 2025 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

With a new match-winner this time around, Pakistan relished its second victory in as many days, serving as a massive boost just 10 days before the Asia Cup. After the coin once again spun in Pakistan’s favour, they opted to bat like they did in their 39-run victory over Afghanistan on Friday.

Ayub, who appeared rustic in his last outing, finally put up a vintage show since his return from injury at the beginning of this year. His explosive 69 (38) and Nawaz’s 56 (26) did the lion’s share of the work for Pakistan. Ayub freed himself from the shackles after a 22-run third over during which he carted Junaid Siddique for two towering sixes and a four.

Once the fielding restrictions were lifted after the power play, he hammered left-arm quick Muhammad Jawadullah for a six and a boundary. He raced to his fifty in 25 balls and eventually finished with 69 from 38 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and four sixes.

Mohammad Nawaz, with his 25 (15) and Faheem Ashraf’s quick-fire 16 (10), towards the end turned out to be handy cameos that propelled Pakistan to a daunting 207-run total.

In reply, the UAE heavily depended on what skipper Muhammad Waseem could conjure up in the first six overs. He adopted a belligerent start and kept the hopes kindled by swiftly racing to 33(18). However, his time on the crease was cut short after a terrible mix-up towards the end of the powerplay.

UAE’s middle order collapsed, but Asif Khan wasn’t willing to go down without putting up a fight. In a brutal counterattack, he mauled Pakistan’s experienced bowling unit. Pakistan’s spinners and pacers continued to bowl in his arc, and he offered no clemency en route to a rollicking 77(35). However, his knock came to an end at the hands of Hasan Ali and proved insufficient to salvage a win for his side as the UAE fell to a 31-run defeat.