UAE vs PAK: Pakistan-UAE Asia Cup clash delayed amid referee controversy and team uncertainty
The Asia Cup match between Pakistan and UAE faced a one-hour delay due to controversy surrounding match referee Andy Pycroft, leading to Pakistan's team remaining at their hotel.
Last Updated: 07.55 PM, Sep 17, 2025
The highly anticipated Asia Cup match between Pakistan and the UAE was delayed by an hour on Wednesday amid ongoing controversy over the presence of match referee Andy Pycroft. Pakistan's team remained at their hotel well past the scheduled departure time, with the toss eventually set for 7pm local time and the match to begin at 7:30pm in Dubai.
What happened?
The delay follows Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chair Mohsin Naqvi’s call for the team to stay put while discussions with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and former PCB chairs Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi took place.
The PCB was reportedly in talks with the ICC after its request to remove Pycroft, a former Zimbabwe cricketer, was denied.
Meanwhile, the UAE team arrived at the Dubai International Stadium early and completed their pre-match training and interviews on schedule.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Pakistan’s training session went ahead earlier on Tuesday, but the current match scenario has left fans and officials on edge.
As darkness fell over the stadium, the fate of the match, the role of the match referee, and Pakistan’s future participation in the tournament remain uncertain, with all eyes on the ongoing negotiations and upcoming announcements from the PCB and tournament officials.
Read also: Asia Cup winners in every edition from 1984
The situation highlights the ongoing tensions and challenges faced in the Asia Cup, especially involving contentious decisions and diplomatic issues off the field that threaten to overshadow the cricketing contest itself.
Squads
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Haris (wk), Salman Agha (c), Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza
United Arab Emirates Squad: Muhammad Waseem (c), Rahul Chopra (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Asif Khan, Muhammad Zohaib, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Aryansh Sharma, Matiullah Khan, Ethan DSouza, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan