Pakistan-Pycroft drama explained in detail as the three-fold controversy was happening everywhere at the same time.
The Pakistan-Pycroft saga explained: everything, everywhere, all at once.
You had to be in three different places at once to really understand the turmoil that surrounded Pakistan’s last Group A encounter against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai on Wednesday.
At the Marina team hotel, there was last-minute doubt about whether the Pakistani players would depart for the arena at 4:30 p.m. local time. They didn’t.
The UAE players had arrived on schedule at 5 p.m., but they were uncertain if they would play in the Dubai International Stadium in Sports City, which was 40 minutes away by car from the hotel. The rumours that Pakistan would skip the game were starting to spread.
There was more going on at the arena as they attempted to keep up with the growing intrigue. Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwean match referee with whom the PCB had a problem, showed up just after 5 p.m., but he quickly left and drove to the ICC offices, which was five minutes away. The ICC refused to back down from the PCB’s demand that he leave.
There were still questions about when the game would begin when Naqvi eventually announced on social media at 5:45 p.m. that he had told the Pakistani team to leave the hotel and get to the stadium. Police advised the local liaison team that, given the daily rush after 6pm, it was impossible to clear traffic at such short notice, even though organisers had been told 7.30pm. Furthermore, Pycroft’s officiating duties were confirmed only after the team had left for the stadium.
Television news teams followed the squad and covered Pakistan’s 40-minute bus ride to the ground as the politics unfolded. When the players finally reached the location at 6:25 p.m., their rivals, UAE, had completed their team meetings, completed their routines, and were awaiting throw time.
The majority of Pakistan’s players immediately went for a quick warm-up, but coach Mike Hesson, captain Salman Agha, and team manager Naved Akram Cheema met with Pycroft behind closed doors.
A little while later, the PCB sent a muted video recording of the team management speaking with Pycroft to Pakistani media. The PCB said Pycroft had expressed regret for the “miscommunication” that resulted in the handshake-gate incident during Pakistan’s match against India on Sunday in a statement released just minutes before the 7pm toss.
With Pakistan calling off their pre-match news conference on Tuesday night and the PCB announcing later that evening that it was evaluating the team’s participation in the Asia Cup, the development eased the tension that had risen over the previous 24 hours.
The must-win match that was about to start in order to guarantee a spot in the Super Four seemed insignificant in comparison to everything that had already happened by the time the players from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates finally stepped out for the anthems on Wednesday night.