&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan crumble under the weight of its ‘self-implanted’ controversies")
Cacophonies echoed across the emirates following the Indian cricket team’s refusal to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after the Men in Blue crushed the Green Army in Dubai during their Group A fixture of the Asia Cup a week ago. What ensued was controversy, brewed, stirred and implanted by the Pakistan cricket team and its governing body, the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) , which is now called the ‘Handshakegate’.
Moments after the Indian team slammed the doors of their dressing room following their colossal victory, a hapless and perplexed Pakistan team resorted to their usual tactics of giving empty threats of boycotting the Asia Cup, while also pressing the ICC to take punitive action against match referee Andy Pycroft.
Hours before their do-or-die group game against the home side UAE, the Pakistan Cricket team decided to boycott the Asia Cup over the Indian team’s refusal to do the customary handshake and Pycroft’s inaction over the same.
However, negotiations between the PCB and the ICC saw Pakistan retract their statement and eventually show up for their final group game against the UAE, which they would go on to win comfortably.
Though the confusion has been reined in, Pakistan appear to be mentally defeated. This is evident from Sunday’s Super Four clash against the same Indian team that embarrassed them at the ring of fire in Dubai.
Just when a twist in the tale with a sweet Pakistan redemption was on the cards for fans and critics alike, Abhishek Sharma’s long handle took the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi to the cleaners. The thrashing also came with a lot of bickering between players of both sides, with umpires stepping in to cool down the flaring tensions. Though tense moments filled parts of the game, it was indeed a royal drubbing dished out by the Indian team.
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In fact, Indian Captain Suryakumar Yadav said it right at the post-match presser, “India-Pakistan rivalry is no longer a rivalry”.
This single statement imploded all the controversies, chaos and complaints implanted by Pakistan. Be it in terms of talent or skill, Pakistan is no match for India.
Moreover, Pakistan are also baffled with picking their Playing 11. For example, is Shaheen Afridi in the team for his fast bowling or for his batting?
The other puzzling aspect is giving the powerplay overs to part-time spinners instead of handing it to their premier fast bowlers like Harris Rauf, which cost them dearly on Sunday. Furthermore, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, is still dormant and has to come to the party. Adding to this, Saim Ayub has to step up as a batter despite his decent exploits with the ball.
With their back against the wall, Pakistan also have to take a call on playing one extra fast or medium-fast bowler in place of a batter ahead of the game against Sri Lanka. This is owing to the slow nature of the wickets in the UAE. But that being said, what will keep everybody on tenterhooks is which Pakistan will turn up against Sri Lanka? Will it be the Pakistan team that played the India game on Sunday, or a bolder and fearless Pakistan?
Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.
