NEWS
Why UAE Sacrificed Knock-Out Entry Against Pakistan
October 30, 2025
When I asked UAE Skipper Muhammad Waseem why his team did not appeal for a walkover, he said his team had come to play, and that they had decided to wait as per the request from the authorities.
Would any Test-playing country have waited and remained sporting enough to sacrifice their opportunity to play in the knock-out stage?
The UAE team arrived at the stadium on time, went on with their warm-up exercises, and waited for the Pakistan team to arrive.
When this reporter asked UAE Skipper Muhammad Waseem why his team did not appeal for a walkover, he said his team had come to play, and that they had decided to wait as per the request from the authorities.
Would any Test-playing country have waited and remained sporting enough to sacrifice their opportunity to play in the knock-out stage?
The only answer is that UAE played good hosts, like waiting for a guest who turns up late for dinner, without expressing their displeasure.
Unpredictable Pakistan
Pakistan once again showcased why they are considered the most unpredictable side in world cricket.
If the boycott call and the hour-long delay added to the off-the-field drama, the twist-filled encounter against the UAE was a stark reminder that when the Men in Green take the field, no script is ever safe.
There are days when Pakistan turn up and play like champions, but on some other days, they go down even to second-tier sides.
On Wednesday, they failed to turn up at the scheduled start time, protesting and seeking Match Referee Andy Pyrcroft’s removal. The Pakistanis claim the former Zimbabwean cricketer had orchestrated the no-handshake incident in the India match.
Dubai Police Guide Pakistan Team Through Peak Hour Traffic
The Pakistan team left for the match only after Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi gave them the go ahead, and by that time it was peak traffic on Dubai roads.
Thanks to the Dubai police, the Pakistan team bus, like an ambulance with a critically ill patient aboard, waded through the traffic using their deafening siren to reach on time for the toss and a deferred 7.30 pm start.
Three days ago, there was a huge traffic jam before the Indian team’s practice session at the ICC Academy. The Dubai police steered the Indian team bus with its loud siren, making way for the players past this reporter, who was also stuck in the jam for 40 minutes.
UAE Deserved A Thank You Tweet
The UAE team had to do a second warm-up after learning that the world’s most unpredictable team may arrive for the match.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi tweeted that he had asked the team to depart for the stadium but forgot that, as a matter of courtesy, he should also have tweeted a thanks to the UAE team for their patience.
The PCB should remember that just as batters are timed out when they don’t reach the batting crease following the fall of a wicket, the whole team could have been timed out.
Bangladesh once gained the reputation of getting Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews timed out when he delayed reaching the crease after his helmet strap broke and he took time to get another one. Pakistan were aware that the UAE were not Bangladesh.
Much More Than Border Tension
After Pakistan Opener Saim Ayub got out recording a hat-trick of ducks, a fan remarked that if he scores his first run, he should be allowed to keep that ball as a souvenir.
Many Pakistan fans had arrived with headbands carrying the words Dil Dil Pakistan printed on them. After all that happened before the match on Wednesday, the tension among officials at the stadium seemed to be much more than the tension at the India-Pakistan border.
Asia Cup Media Manager Emmad Hameed, had a tough time handling queries over Pakistan’s delay, but he handled the situation professionally.
UAE’s Singh and Siddique
IMAGE: UAE’s Pakistan-born Junaid Siddique received a warm welcome from villagers when he returned to Multan after his brilliant show in the Dubai T10 tournament in 2021. Photograph: K R Nayar
India continued to haunt Pakistan in the match against the UAE. UAE’s left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh, who grew up training at the Mohali stadium in Punjab, bagged three wickets for 26 runs.
Everyone was keen to see whether the Pakistan players would shake hands with Singh after the match, and they did.
UAE’s Pakistan-born Junaid Siddique stood out with four wickets for 18 runs. He had also bagged 4 for 23 in his team’s win over Oman on Monday. This reporter has covered all of this Multan-born pacer’s top performances in the UAE.
In the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10, he emerged as the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, which included the wickets of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.
When he arrived in the UAE seeking a job, with no money, he had to seek help to get Dh 10 ($2.80). When he returned to his village near Multan after his brilliant show in the T10, the whole village garlanded him and paraded him through the streets. After this show in the Asia Cup, another reception may well be waiting for him.
