Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
Somewhere in October 2021, yours truly ended up watching Daniel Craig’s James Bond movie – No Time To Die. Roughly four years later, while covering the plots and subplots of whether the Pakistan team would arrive at the Dubai International Stadium, it just made you remember this very movie.
For a time, it seemed like the Pakistan players would skip their Asia Cup game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As per sources, at least some of Pakistan’s players had their kit bags ready as they geared up for their crucial match. Minutes later, another source mentioned —a few players had boarded the motorcoach. It was then said that the players who had taken their seats were asked to return to their hotel premises. The bone of contention was obviously Andy Pycroft, the match referee. The Pakistan management wanted him out in the backdrop of the handshake incident that took place in the game against India. The ICC, however, remained steadfast in their decision not to replace Pycroft.
That was more about behind-the-scenes drama. Near the Dubai Stadium, there was enough confusion. In fact, there seemed to be a new narrative after every 5-10 minutes. At one point of time, it looked like the Pakistan players were on their way to the stadium. At that juncture, there was a tweet by Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chair, that went as follows, “We have asked the Pakistan team to depart for the Dubai Cricket Stadium. Further details to follow.” The official release from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also said that the delayed match would commence at 7.30 pm local time.
Despite all that, there were murmurs going around that negotiations were still on and Pycroft had been told to leave the venue. To make matters worse, the conditions were still quite hot and humid, with shirts drenched in sweat. With RevSportz’s editor-in-chief rightly asking for visuals of the team bus, you started to ponder whether there was more spin to the story.
Just when you began to mull over different possibilities, several security vehicles lined up outside the cordoned gates. A clear signal that Pakistan’s players were about to arrive. Finally, the much-anticipated team bus approached the stadium. On expected lines, several cricket journalists began to run behind it in order to take the visuals.
In a few minutes’ time, Pycroft also emerged from the dressing room, alongside the two captains, for the toss. The two skippers – Muhammad Waseem and Salman Agha – did shake hands too. So, eventually, was it a case of ‘all is well that ends well’? Perhaps not, as the gut feel tells you there is more drama to come. We are perhaps now moving towards the climax of this controversy. Only time will tell what could be the final bit of action in Handshake-gate.
The match itself may have panned out on expected lines, with Pakistan moving into the Super 4s, but it was the off-field drama and intrigue that was straight out of a Bond thriller.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news