Big news: Pakistan cancel press-conference ahead of Asia Cup clash against India, bring motivational speaker into the team

The Pakistan team has decided to cancel their pre-match press-conference ahead of their Asia Cup clash against India on September 21. This comes after it was recently confirmed that Andy Pycroft will be the match referee for the upcoming match between India and Pakistan. Sports Tak has also learned that the Men in Green have brought in motivational speaker Dr Raheel into the camp. 

Notably, Pakistan had cancelled their pre-match press-conference ahead of their Asia Cup clash against UAE as well. They had even threatened to boycott the tournament after it was announced that Pycroft would be the match referee for their clash against Pakistan. However, the match eventually ended up going ahead after a one hour delay and Pakistan won the match comprehensively by 41 runs.

The controversies in Asia Cup 2025

Meanwhile, ever since the clash between India and Pakistan, the Asia Cup has been marred with controversy. It all began with 'handshake controversy' where Suryakumar Yadav didn't do the customary handshake with Pakistan players and went back to the dugout after the conclusion of the match. This left the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) agitated and they went on to allege that Pycroft had told Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha to not shake hands with Suryakumar.

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They then demanded the ICC to dismiss Pycroft from the Asia Cup. However, the global body rejected this suggestion and even named Pycroft as the match referee of Pakistan's clash against UAE. This saw the PCB threaten to boycott the match against UAE even though a withdrawal would have seen the Men in Green crash out from the tournament. Though the match eventually went ahead, the controversies do not seem to end and it remains to be seen if the upcoming India-Pakistan clash will be as controversial as the first one or not.

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On the other hand, the upcoming match between India and Pakistan will be both the sides' opening clash in the Super 4 stage. India will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament while Pakistan will be looking to take revenge for the one-sided defeat that Suryakumar Yadav & Co. had handed to them in the group stage.