The Asia Cup Group A match between Pakistan and UAE had to be stopped in Dubai after a throw from a Pakistan player struck umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge in the ear. The incident took place in the final over of powerplay in UAE's innings. The bowler, Saim Ayub, and the rest of his colleagues were instantly concerned.
Palliyaguruge, 57, was spotted clutching the region surrounding his left ear after Ayub took off his hat. When the Pakistan physiotherapist arrived, it appeared that he was testing Palliyaguruge for concussions.
The umpire was eventually led off the field and was replaced by Gazi Sohel, the backup umpire from Bangladesh, for the rest of the game.
If we switch focus to the scoreboard, UAE put up a strong fight and held Pakistan to 146/9. Pacer Junaid Siddique registered four scalps for just 18 runs and spinner Simranjeet Singh claimed three wickets for 26 runs.
The match experienced a delay by an hour due to a dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over match referee Andy Pycroft.
The dramatic afternoon started with the Pakistan team remaining at their hotel as ICC refused to comply with the PCB's demand to remove Pycroft and establish an investigation into the no-handshake incident during Sunday's match against India, which came "without any documents or evidence" as per the sources.
A video also emerged online purporting to show Pycroft ‘apologising’ to Pakistan coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha before the Men In Green's tie against UAE.
A statement by PCB's official media account read: “Andy Pycroft had prohibited the captains of both teams from shaking hands during the India-Pakistan match. The PCB has strongly reacted to Pycroft’s actions. Pycroft described the incident on September 14 as a result of miscommunication and apologised. The ICC has expressed its readiness to investigate a breach of the Code of Conduct during the match on 14 September.”
Despite the controversy, Pycroft continued to officiate the Pakistan-UAE match, which the former won to join India in Super Four.
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