The Asia Cup 2025 started with calls of boycott mostly by fans and politicians in India and it is interesting to note how quickly has the notion changed. Ahead of the much-debated clash between India and Pakistan, which the Men In Blue won by seven wickets, many had reservation around the encounter particularly in the wake of Pahlagam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
However, India's strong stance against Pakistan have now left the latter irked, who have now threatened to pull out of the continental event. Post the match on Sunday, the Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts as a mark of respect to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
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This left PCB fuming, who lodged a protest to ICC seeking the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft citing violation of rules and regulations, only to be rejected by the game's global governing body. Incidentally, the rejection letter that the PCB received from the ICC was signed by its general manager Waseem Khan, who was formerly the beleaguered cricket board's CEO.
The day was full of intrigue after the ICC rejected PCB's plea. It is understood that they are still trying to convince the ICC to allow Richie Richardson for the UAE game, which will be a face-saver for PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the Shahbaz Sharif government. A section of the Pakistan media reported that Naqvi's scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Sharif was primarily related to interior ministry affairs and had little to do with the Asia Cup pullout issue.
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How much money will Pakistan lose in case of a pull out?
As reported by PTI, if Pakistan decide to not continue further in the tournament, they will endure a loss of USD 16 million, which is a significant amount for a cricket board not half as rich as the BCCI.
Meanwhile, ahead of Pakistan's meeting with UAE at the Dubai International Stadium, there was a scheduled press conference in the evening but around an hour and a half before the Pakistan team's arrival for training, it was cancelled. "They want to keep cards close to the chest and not answer any questions about boycott," a PCB insider, aware of developments, told PTI.
-with PTI inputs
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