Former India player Murali Kartik voiced his displeasure over Pakistan’s behaviour before their final group match against the UAE. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he said that if a team chooses to take a stand, they should stick with it.
“If you want to take a stand, please go ahead. I think for everybody in life, you take a stand, but stick to it. Have the conviction to stick to it. Just because you see that there could be a financial implication, which is 16 million USD over a handshake saga or for something like this, I can’t think of anything. Even kids in kindergarten nowadays don’t behave like this, so it’s a bit funny and again you’re holding so many people to ransom for no rhyme or reason, absolutely no rhyme or reason.”
Pakistan had threatened to withdraw from the tournament and refused to leave their team hotel on time, which eventually caused the match to be delayed by an hour.
Kartik also highlighted the impact this had on fans back home, particularly in Pakistan.
“People watching at home, the match is going to be delayed by an hour, so now even in, you know, even fans in Pakistan, kids in Pakistan who wanted to watch their heroes play now have to stay up much later when it’s a school night,” he said.
Despite the off-field drama, Pakistan went on to defeat the UAE by 41 runs and sealed their berth in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the Asia Cup 2025.
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