Pakistan cricket team are scheduled to face UAE in a must-win final group game of the Asia Cup 2025 on Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
After their loss against arch-rivals India last Sunday and UAE beating Oman in their second match, Wednesday's clash is virtually a knockout game as the winner will join India in the Super Four stage.
The India vs Pakistan clash grabbed a lot of attention, more for the incidents that took place during the game as well as in the aftermath. India comfortably beat their neighbours by seven wickets to maintain their 100 per cent record in their title defence campaign, but Suryakumar Yadav and his team's decision to avoid shaking hands with the rivals became the talking point.
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While the gesture divided opinions among Indians and Pakistanis, the Pakistan Cricket Board launched a complaint with the ICC, accusing India of breaching the Code of Conduct and MCC's Spirit of Cricket.
They demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft and even threatened to pull out of the Asia Cup 2025 if their demands were not met.
ICC later rejected Pakistan's demands, which triggered the question of whether PCB would now boycott the Asia Cup, as they had claimed earlier.
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Pakistan skipper pre-match press conference ahead of UAE clash
On the eve of the clash between Pakistan and UAE, Pakistan did not send any representative for the pre-match press conference. While the official stance of the PCB was not revealed, it raised eyebrows whether the board are seriously considering boycotting the tournament.
Pakistan yet to reach Dubai International Cricket Stadium two hours before UAE clash
As per protocol, by now the Pakistan team should have reached the venue and started their warm-up, however, TOI reports that with less than two hours before the start of the game, the team was yet to leave their hotel.
The kit bags reportedly reached the stadium but the players were stopped from leaving the hotel and the press conference could soon be called.
According to a latest report from Revsportz, Pakistan have decided to pull out of the Asia Cup. Some players had boarded the team bus, but were told to head back to the team hotel. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi will conduct a press conference soon.
In a major U-turn, Pakistan have decided against boycotting Asia Cup 2025. The players are now headed to the Dubai stadium and the clash against UAE has been delayed by an hour, according to journalist Kushan Sarkar.
Pakistan team has finally reached the stadium. The game is likely to start at 9:00 pm IST.
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— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 17, 2025
After a delay, the Pakistan team finally arrives at the Dubai International Stadium.@CricSubhayan@Fancricket12 @rohitjuglan@ThumsUpOfficial #AsiaCup2025 #AsiaCupT20 #TeamPakistan #PakistanCricket #Pakistan #PAKvUAE pic.twitter.com/3rMYOKhqwt
The match finally started at 7:30 pm (local time), 9:00 pm (ISL).