Pakistan Cricket Board to Decide on Asia Cup Participation After Handshake Controversy

The Pakistan team's continuation in the ongoing Asia Cup hangs in the balance, with no clarity as of Tuesday (September 16) night, less than 24 hours before their final and must-win league fixture against the UAE.

After the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) demand for the expulsion of Andy Pycroft from the match referees' panel for the tournament over handshake row - as first reported by Cricbuzz on Tuesday morning - the PCB has sent out mixed signals.

For the greater part of the day, the PCB denied knowledge of the ICC's rejection of its demand and maintained stoic silence. However, on Tuesday night, its officials informally acknowledged receipt of the ICC's mail, even while sending wavering indications about its further participation in the tournament - a position it had made conditional on the removal of Pycroft.

On Tuesday evening, they cancelled their scheduled pre-match media conference after hours of uncertainty around it, but still went ahead with the pre-arranged net session at the ICC Academy ground later in the night, leaving everyone guessing about their future course of action.

Their practice session overlapped with India's for more than an hour, with both teams training on adjoining grounds barely a stone's throw apart. Indian batters, who have often indulged in range-hitting in the nets, wrapped it up before the arrival of the Pakistan team at 7:50 PM local time; a lot of balls in that case often tends to land into the ground that Pakistan were practicing in.

Mike Hesson kept a close watch on one of the nets, where Fakhar Zaman batted against a rotation of Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz. At the next net, Saim Ayub took on a stream of hard-length deliveries outside off from Haris Rauf, focusing on keeping his cut shot down. It was a shot that cost him against India, where he was dismissed first ball, caught at point by Jasprit Bumrah.

Salman Ali Agha spent considerable time against spin, facing left-arm orthodox Salman Mirza and legspinner Abrar Ahmed, but continued to look short of his best touch. Mohammad Haris, meanwhile, was put through specialised wicketkeeping drills.

While the entire 15-member Pakistan squad sweated it out on a very muggy day in Dubai, it is understood that off-field, they are awaiting instructions from Lahore, where the PCB headquarters is located.

Cricbuzz understands that the PCB will hold a meeting late on Tuesday night once its chief, Mohsin Naqvi, returns to Lahore from Islamabad, where he had gone to consult with the government on the team's further participation in the tournament.

As a minister in the Pakistan government, Naqvi's visit to Islamabad should have been a routine one, but it is learnt that this visit was to discuss the handshake controversy, its implications and the standoff with the ICC over Pycroft, who is the designated match referee for Wednesday's game.

A formal statement is expected late in the night or early Wednesday morning.