Pakistan Boycott Asia Cup Drama continued just before the Pakistan vs UAE (United Arab Emirates) game. Salman Ali Agha-led side didn’t show up on time for the Pakistan vs UAE game, because of which the match started late. Eventually, Pakistan won its last fixture in the league stage of the Asia Cup 2025. But what about the promise they made after the India vs Pakistan no-handshake drama? They had demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft and clearly stated that if the ICC did not remove him, they would boycott their next game against the UAE. But Pakistan ended up showing what it really means to eat one’s own words. Neither was their demand to remove Andy Pycroft from the tournament accepted, nor did they boycott the match.

Now the question arises — why did Pakistan play this match despite their strong statements, and can they really not stand by their own words? In this article, we will discuss this matter in detail and try to understand why Pakistan chose to play the game and what the repercussions could have been if it had actually walked away.

Pakistan’s Drama Continues: Pakistan vs UAE

Things started after India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with the Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha after the toss on September 14, 2025. India won the game dominatingly in the end, and the whole Indian team, along with the management, did not shake hands with the opposition on the grounds of the spirit of the game. After the match, Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the win to the armed forces who were involved in Operation Sindoor. He also expressed his feelings towards the victims of the Pahalgam Terror Attack.

Pakistan did not process the things that happened during and after the game. They were unhappy with what happened on and off the field. Pakistan’s captain did not show up for the post-match presentation. The Pakistan team asked the ICC (International Cricket Council) to remove match referee Andy Pycroft, saying that he had instructed both captains not to shake hands.

ICC Rejected Pakistan’s Demand

The ICC has rejected Pakistan’s demand, citing ‘no substantial evidence’ against Andy Pycroft. Also, the ICC said that it sets a bad precedent to remove Pycroft just on the basis of one team’s demand. It was a good decision by the ICC, as if that’s the case, tomorrow some other team will go to the ICC and say they don’t like this umpire or this referee — change them.

Pakistan vs UAE Match Delayed for an Hour

Pakistan had said that if the ICC did not remove Andy, they would forfeit the Pakistan vs UAE match. Now, after the ICC rejected their demand, they started their drama just before the Pakistan vs UAE match. The Pakistan cricket team did not leave their hotel for the game, even when only one hour was left in the game. But, eventually, the game started one hour after the set time.

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Here’s What Went Down

The Pakistan cricket team was about to leave the hotel room for the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the fixture against the UAE. As per the media report, a phone call came to the team manager, and the whole team returned from the team bus to the hotel. There was an uncertainty about whether the Pakistan vs UAE game would happen or not.

Asian Cricket Council’s Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) Chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, travelled around in Pakistan and met the former PCB Chiefs, Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi. He also consulted the Pakistan government officials on this matter. The PCB does not want to play the game, but there was pressure on Mohsin Naqvi from higher authorities to resolve the matter.

After Mohsin Naqvi’s meeting with all the above-mentioned individuals, the PCB again called the team manager to be ready for the game. As a PCB Chair, Naqvi asked for a one-hour delay in the game.

PCB Issued a Statement, Stating Andy Pycroft Apologized for the ‘Miscommunication’

In between all of this, the PCB issued a statement, saying the match referee apologized for the ‘miscommunication’. Now, miscommunication is the keyword here. Andy Pycroft does admit the mistake in communication. Actually, it had already been conveyed to the tournament director that the Indian players would not be shaking hands with the Pakistani players. Along with the tournament director, this was also communicated to the PCB and to PCB’s Director of International Cricket Relations, Usman Wahla. Now, whether Usman Wahla informed Pakistan’s captain, Salman Agha, about it or not is their internal matter. But what the PCB did first thing was to sack Usman Wahla from his position.

Whatever, Andy Pycroft himself is not liable to convey this message to the Pakistani players. There are other parties like the PCB, and Usman Wahla is the one who should have conveyed this message to the Pakistani players. There is a video floating on the internet where Andy Pycroft, Salman Agha, Pakistan’s coach Mike Hesson, and the team manager can be seen. However, there is no audio available in this clip.

🚨 Video clip of match referee Andy Pycroft apologising to Pakistan’s manager and captain. pic.twitter.com/VnBKM6ePBa

— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) September 17, 2025

Pakistan Again Demanded an Investigation into Andy Pycroft

Pakistan wrote a letter to the ICC again, to investigate Andy Pycroft. But again, the ICC’s stand was the same. They rejected the demand, citing that Pakistan does not have any proof that says Andy Pycroft is guilty. So now what could Pakistan have done? Because their demand to remove Pycroft was not met. And they cannot just boycott the Pakistan vs UAE game (we will talk about the reasons later in this article). So to satisfy their ego, they said, as Andy Pycroft has apologised, we are good to go ahead and play.

If Pakistan wanted to stick to their word, they should have walked out of the match. But they choose to play the game. It is more humiliating for them, and they lost their game against Andy Pycroft and the ICC. Now, let’s see the reasons why Pakistan did not boycott or forfeit the UAE match.

Why did Pakistan not Pull Out of the UAE Fixture?

As we said earlier, Pakistan shamelessly ate its own word. But what are the possible reasons for them? Let’s see in detail.

• Pakistan Chooses Money Over Commitment

Pakistan chose money over their commitment to boycott the Pakistan vs UAE match. If they boycott the game, they would have to bear the loss of 130-140 crore (12-16 million dollars), as per the media reports. Not just for Pakistan, it could have been a loss for the other Asian teams, including the Associate Asian cricketing members like Nepal, Oman, Bangladesh, etc, as far as revenue sharing is concerned. So that’s why Pakistan did not boycott the UAE game.

• PAK Would Be Out of the Asia Cup 2025, Effect on Broadcaster

If Pakistan had boycotted the UAE game, they would have been out of the Asia Cup 2025, and India and the UAE would have made it to the Super 4 from the Group. It will also affect the broadcaster as there will be no India vs Pakistan game possible in the tournament. The IND vs PAK game generates a heavy amount of revenue, which helps the broadcasters and the ACC (Asian Cricket Council)

• Pakistan’s Relations with the UAE

In this political turmoil between India and Pakistan, the UAE are also involved. India are the host of this tournament, but the games are happening in the UAE. Also, Pakistan wanted to boycott a game against the UAE. Already, the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the UAE are ‘not that good’. Pakistan’s boycott of the UAE game would have done more damage to the relations between the two nations.

• Fine for Pakistan

If a team refuses to play or gives up a match, it breaks the ICC rules and tournament regulations. In such cases, the ICC and match officials can mark the game as forfeited and also start disciplinary action. So, walking away from a match is not free of consequences — it directly counts as breaking the rules.

ICC disciplinary fines and possible bans, contractual compensation claims from broadcasters/organisers (often the biggest financial hit), loss of prize money, and reputational/legal fallout. That combination is why a boycott can become extremely costly.

• Pakistan and PCB’s Reputation Would Have Been Dented

If Pakistan had boycotted its last league stage game, it would have harmed PCB’s reputation and Pakistan’s reputation as a nation. It is always good to have good terms with other nations, whether it’s diplomatic relations or a relation with other nations in cricketing terms. The higher authorities in Pakistan have also pressured Mohsin Naqvi to resolve the problem.

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CONCLUSION

All in all, Pakistan did not stand by its stance of boycotting the game. They have a fear of things mentioned above, and they have lost the battle. They were humiliated, and now they have more challenges coming up. Pakistan will again face India on Sunday (September 21, 2025). Again, it is certain that Suryakumar Yadav and his team will not shake hands with the Pakistani players. Also, there are reports that if India wins the Asia Cup 2025, they will not take the trophy from the hands of ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. It is a developing story. We will continue to update you on the whole drama. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest news, stories, updates, analysis, previews, reviews, opinion, and more.

FAQs:-

(1) Who is the current ICC President?

A. As of September 2025, Jay Shah is the current ICC President.

(2) Who was the PCB president before Mohsin Naqvi?

A. Zaka Ashraf became the PCB president before Mohsin Naqvi.

(3) Who is the General Manager (GM) of the ICC?

A. As of September 2025, Wasim Khan is the current GM of ICC.

(4) Will we see the IND vs PAK in the Asia Cup 2025 again?

A. Yes. The two teams are set to play again on September 21 in the Asia Cup 2025.

(5) Who won the Pakistan vs UAE match in the Asia Cup 2025?

A. Pakistan won the game by 41 runs while defending the target of 147.