 "The Pakistan cricket team has now cancelled back-to-back pre-match press conferences in the ongoing Asia Cup. AP")
The off-field drama involving India and Pakistan refuses to die down with the latter cancelling their pre-match press conference for the second consecutive time in the ongoing Asia Cup. The Men in Green, who had suffered a seven-wicket hammering at the hands of the Suryakumar Yadav-led side in their Group A clash last Sunday, had called off their press conference ahead of Wednesday’s match against hosts United Arab Emirates .
And on Saturday, the Salman Agha-led side staged another no-show for an interaction with reporters in Dubai, where they face the red-hot Indian team in their Super 4s clash on Sunday. According to ESPNCricinfo, a member of the Pakistani squad or supposed staff was supposed to attend the pre-match press conference at 6 pm local time (7.30 pm IST), which was to be followed by a three-hour training session at the ICC Academy.
Training will go ahead as scheduled
However, while the training session will go on as scheduled, the press conference will not. Pakistan had nearly boycotted their Group A match against UAE after skipping the press conference, and it remains to be seen if they pull off any such antics against the Indian team a little over 24 hours from now.
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The development comes after match referee Andy Pycroft was confirmed to officiate in an India-Pakistan contest for the second consecutive time in the ongoing tournament.
Pycroft had found himself at the centre of the handshake controversy in the previous Indo-Pak encounter, and the Pakistan Cricket Board had not only pinned the blame on him but also tried to get the former Zimbabwe batter removed from the remainder of the tournament.
The PCB also drawn the ICC’s ire for recording and sharing a muted video clip of a meeting involving the Pakistan team management, including captain Agha and Pycroft, with the Dubai-based governing body for the sport warning the Pakistanis of “stern action”.
Pakistan’s decision to cancel back-to-back press conference is expected to lead to a sterner response from the ICC, though the Jay Shah-led body might wait until the India-Pakistan match is done before announcing sanctions.