 "Salman Agha")
Pakistan have unexpectedly called off their scheduled press conference ahead of their much-anticipated Super Four encounter against India in the Asia Cup 2025. As of now, there has been no official explanation for the sudden move, particularly surprising given that pacer Haris Rauf addressed the media following their previous game against the UAE.
PCB-ICC tensions continue
According to a report by Cricbuzz, tensions between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) remain unresolved. This friction persists despite Pakistan taking the field against the UAE, a match that came after controversy surrounding the so-called "handshake saga" involving players from India and Pakistan.
A similar situation occurred before the Pakistan-UAE clash, when the ICC cleared match referee Andy Pycroft of any misconduct in the handshake incident. Pycroft was subsequently assigned to officiate that game. In protest, Pakistan skipped the pre-match press briefing, leading to uncertainty and a one-hour delay in the fixture’s start. Although the match eventually proceeded following discussions between PCB officials and Pycroft, the accounts from both parties varied significantly regarding the nature of those talks.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has yet to officially reveal the match officials for Sunday's high-profile India-Pakistan clash, but Pycroft is reportedly the leading candidate to take on the referee role again, potentially influencing Pakistan’s decision to pull out of media duties.
As per current plans, Pakistan will hold a training session at the ICC Academy at 6 PM local time on the eve of the match. That session is expected to go ahead as scheduled.
India, on the other hand, were initially not slated to train on Saturday after playing Oman in Abu Dhabi the day before. However, the team has now arranged an optional practice session at the same venue and time as Pakistan’s, giving players a final tune-up ahead of the Super Four battle.
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