Pakistan's boycott threat and near withdrawal stemmed from the "no handshake" controversy involving match referee Pycroft during the India-Pakistan match.
The PCB demanded the removal of Andy Pycroft, and threatened to boycott UAE match. But they have finally decided to play it, albeit the match starts an hour later than the scheduled time.
Pakistan's pre-match press conference cancellation and uncertainty about participation underlined the tension before they ultimately confirmed they would play the UAE match. Here's a timeline of the 'No Handshake' Saga.
September 14
The saga began with the Asia Cup 2025 Group A match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai. After the match, Indian players refused to shake hands with Pakistani players at the toss
and conclusion, reportedly as a mark of respect to terror attack victims in Kashmir.
The Pakistan team was kept waiting at the field, and eventually they went back to their dressing room. Salman Ali Agha, the Pakistan captain, later skipped the post-match presentation. Later, the Pakistan coach came and mentioned the thing as unfortunate.
September 15
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused match referee Andy Pycroft of instructing the captains not to shake hands at the toss, which PCB claimed violated the spirit of cricket and ICC laws. PCB demanded Pycroft's immediate removal from officiating in the Asia Cup.
PCB escalated the issue by filing a formal complaint to the ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC), warning that they could boycott the tournament if their demand to remove Pycroft was not met.
September 16
The ICC officially rejected PCB's request to remove Pycroft from the event. ICC explained that the no-handshake directive came from ACC officials, not Pycroft independently, and cleared Pycroft of wrongdoing.
Amid the ICC rejection, Pakistan cancelled their pre-match press conference ahead of their final group match against the UAE scheduled for Wednesday, September 17. The team reportedly trained but the press conference cancellation sparked speculation about a boycott.
PCB threatened to boycott the match against UAE, which was a must-win for them to advance to the Super Four stage. If Pakistan boycotted, the UAE would advance instead.
Eventually, a compromise was reached as reportedly Andy Pycroft would be removed from officiating Pakistan's matches and replaced by Richie Richardson.
September 17
A second mail was sent to ICC by PCB as they reiterated their demand for Andy Pycroft to be removed, which was originally not accepted by ICC. The apex body again rejected their claims, and PCB was not happy with it.
The Pakistan team was communicated of no match on Wednesday (September 17). At about 6 pm Pakistan time, a PCB spokesperson told reporters that Mohsin Naqvi is in talks with Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi and requested to delay the match by an hour. And Pakistan eventually caved in and agreed to play the match against UAE, as the encounter started an hour later.
After the huff and puff, Andy Pycroft remained the match referee for this match as well. PCB released a statement and clarified that Andy Pycroft went to the Pakistan team management and apologized before the toss.
