"Board has handled it well": Haris Rauf on Pakistan's Asia Cup saga

Dubai [UAE], September 18 (ANI): After PCB’s Asia Cup boycott threat, issues with ICC match referee Andy Pycroft, a one-hour delayed start to the must-win fixture against the UAE, and a handshake row with Team India, tearaway Haris Rauf feels the Pakistan board has handled the situation well.

On Wednesday, a new drama ensued in Dubai during the ongoing Asia Cup after the Pakistan team refused to leave the team hotel in the Marina area for its must-win fixture against the UAE. Pakistan’s act was a clear response to their demand for the removal of the match referee, Andy Pycroft, which was denied by the ICC.

Pakistan got the clearance from the management and eventually arrived at the stadium, but the game had to be delayed by an hour. Pakistan cancelled the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, but held a practice session before their clash against the UAE.

Pakistan’s decision was directly linked to its unhappiness with Pycroft, whom the PCB demanded be removed. Pakistan also skipped the post-match presentation after their clash in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup against India.

“Honestly, I wasn’t feeling any pressure. Things were beyond my control, and it’s not my domain to worry about those aspects. My job is to play, and my focus was solely on the game. Our cricket board and management have handled it well, and that’s their responsibility,” Haris Rauf told the media during the post-match press conference.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit the winning runs, and notably, he and Shivam Dube opted not to shake hands with the Pakistani players, instead walking straight to the dugout.

India’s stance on refraining from engaging in shaking hands with their counterparts was linked to the strained relations between the two nations in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, during which Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 tourists.

However, an all-round bowling dominance by Pakistan seals their spot in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup Super 4 and sets up a clash again with India after they posted a commanding win by 41 runs, beating the UAE by runs in Dubai on Wednesday.

Pakistan and India will go head-to-head on Sunday again after their high-voltage clash last week. Last time when the two teams met, India thrashed Pakistan with an emphatic 7-wicket win. (ANI)

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