The Pakistan cricket team has once again created controversy by canceling their pre-match press conference ahead of the Asia Cup Super-Four clash against India. This marks the second consecutive press conference boycott by Pakistan, fueling more drama and speculation ahead of their high-profile match.
As per the Asia Cricket Council’s (ACC) schedule, a Pakistan player or staff member was set to address the media at 6:00 pm local time (7:30 pm IST) before their training session. However, according to ESPNcricinfo, while the training session will proceed as scheduled, the press conference has been called off without any explanation.
A Pattern of Boycotts
This is the second time in the tournament that Pakistan has chosen not to send a representative for the press conference, which is an essential part of a team’s preparation for major matches. The first boycott took place before their group-stage game against the UAE.
At that time, the boycott seemed to be tied to the controversy surrounding match referee Andy Pycroft. Pakistan had accused the Zimbabwean official of failing to uphold the ICC Code of Conduct during the India-Pakistan group-stage game. The incident involved a decision to inform Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha that there would be no handshakes after the coin toss—something customary in cricket.
This led to a refusal from India to shake hands with Pakistan players after the match. Subsequently, Agha boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony.
Further Fallout and Ongoing Tensions
The situation worsened when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released footage of their meeting with Pycroft—without audio—prompting widespread anger at the ICC. The dispute had escalated to the point where the match between Pakistan and the UAE was delayed by an hour due to protests and the delay in the Pakistani team’s arrival at the stadium.
Despite this ongoing tension, the India-Pakistan Super-Four match on Sunday is expected to proceed as planned, with Pycroft serving as the referee.
Interestingly, India will also not hold a press conference before the match on Saturday, but this is due to their game against Oman on Friday.
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