18 September,2025 12:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Haris Rauf (Pic: File Pic)
In the Asia Cup 2025 match against the UAE, Pakistan secured a comfortable victory by 41 runs at the Dubai International Stadium. The start of the match was delayed by one hour after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) boycott threat.
Speaking on the situation, star pacer Haris Rauf said that the board has managed it well, and his job was only to play and focus on the game. The pacer claimed two wickets by conceding 19 runs in 2.4 overs against the hosts.
"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," said the pacer in the post-match press conference.
Earlier, after the India-Pakistan clash, the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube did not shake hands with any of the Pakistani players.
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.
Pakistan's decision to boycott the tournament was directly linked to its unhappiness with Andy Pycroft, whom the PCB demanded be removed.
Later, however, the "Green Shirts" arrived at the ground to play the match against the UAE. After sealing a victory against the hosts, the Salma Ali Agha-led Pakistan will yet again lock horns against arch-rivals, Team India, on September 21.
Earlier in the continental tournament, the "Men in Blue" came victorious by seven wickets against Pakistan.
Coming to Pakistan's clash against the UAE, having opted to bowl, hosts' pacer Junaid Siddique and Ludhiana-born left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh were exceptional in their execution, but Pakistan's late-order surge got them to a fighting 146 for nine in a do-or-die last group league clash.
Simranjeet (3/26 in 4 overs) and Junaid (4/18) shared the bulk of the spoils in one of the UAE's best bowling efforts in recent times against a Test-playing nation. Once again, Pakistan's top-order, save senior pro Fakhar Zaman (50 off 36 balls), failed, and it was Mohammed Haris (18) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (29 no off 14 balls), whose use of the long-handle to good effect got them to a fighting score of 146 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
However, Pakistan managed to bowl out the UAE for 105 runs in 17.4 overs.
(With Agencies' Inputs)
