Pakistan managed to maintain their Asia Cup 2025 hopes alive regardless of all of the drama off the sector, as Salman Ali Agha’s group defeated the UAE by 41 runs on September 17 and booked their spot within the Tremendous 4s. The essential win got here after days of stress, confusion, and handshake controversy.
Nevertheless, the Pakistani gamers stayed centered and delivered when it mattered most. The difficulty started after the India-Pakistan match on September 14. India refused to shake palms with Pakistan earlier than and after the match in Dubai, which exploded right into a storm off the sector.
Pakistan secures Asia Cup 2025 Tremendous 4 spot after handshake controversy
Later, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had repeatedly contacted the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC), demanding that match referee Andy Pycroft be eliminated following the notorious no-handshake incident towards India. The ICC rejected these requests a number of occasions.
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The controversy created uncertainty over whether or not the Males in Inexperienced would even take the sector towards the UAE. The beginning of the sport was delayed because the PCB didn’t permit the participant to depart for the venue, and it took a direct intervention from Andy Pycroft himself, who met with the group administration to make clear issues, to lastly permit the match to proceed on Wednesday.
Haris Rauf says PCB drama is not my drawback
Regardless of all of the noise, the Pakistan gamers have been decided to focus solely on cricket, they usually proved it with the essential victory over the UAE. After Pakistan’s Tremendous 4s qualification, the star quick bowler Haris Rauf has bluntly made it clear that PCB’s disputes weren’t his drawback.
Haris Rauf stated that his consideration was solely on acting on the sector, and the remainder of the group ensured that the off-field stress didn’t have an effect on their sport. Nevertheless, Pakistan needed to combat onerous, however they managed to safe a 41-run victory over the UAE, with Shaheen Afridi delivering an all-round present.
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Haris Rauf stated on the post-match press convention, “I wasn’t feeling any stress. This isn’t in my management. These are choices for the board; it’s their headache. For me, I needed to play the match; my focus was on that. The administration has dealt with issues fairly properly.”
Haris Rauf refuses comparisons to 2017 ICC Champions Trophy glory amid Asia Cup 2025 drama
The win boosted group morale after a heavy loss to India. On being requested whether or not this Pakistan squad can rise above chaos, the best way the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy-winning group had overcome off-field distractions to raise the well-known title, Rauf refused to make any remark.
Haris Rauf emphasised that group technique and choice choices are the accountability of the captain and coaches. He additional famous that the gamers’ job is to profit from each alternative given to them, and he’s centered on the identical.
Haris Rauf signed off by saying, “It’s not my area to talk on who performs and who doesn’t—that’s for the coaches and captain. As a participant, if we get the chance, it’s on us to profit from it.”
“As for the batsmen, I’m positive they’re discussing issues amongst themselves. We’ve a number of days earlier than the following sport, so hopefully we are able to put together properly.”
