There's a saying that fits the Pakistani team perfectly: like a boomerang, they tend to return where they started. The Pakistani team made tall demands against playing the UAE, insisting that match referee Andy Pycroft be removed and a fine imposed on Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav. However, none of these demands were fulfilled, and now Pakistan is ready to play the game.
Before the match, the PCB requested the ICC to penalize Suryakumar Yadav. The PCB claimed they made two formal demands. The first was the removal of Andy Pycroft from his referee position in the Asia Cup.
The second demand was for action against Suryakumar due to alleged politically provocative statements. Yet, Pakistan eventually had to take to the field. The match was speculated to start an hour late, but nothing of this sort happened.
What drama unfolded on September 17?
Before heading to the stadium for the Asia Cup match, the Pakistan team stopped the bus. The team management instructed the players to return to their hotel rooms. Reports from Pakistani media suggested that PCB officials stated that an apology from match referee Andy Pycroft could resolve the situation, but nothing transpired as such. It should be noted that if Pakistan refused to play, they would have been disqualified from the Asia Cup tournament. As UAE would have received a walkover, securing two points, allowing the host team UAE to qualify for Super-4. However, the match is proceeding.
