• Source:JND
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Asia Cup 2025: The Pakistan Cricket Board is all set to take a final decision on their further participation in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 amid the ongoing controversy that erupted following their match against India on Sunday.

A late-night meeting reportedly took place on Tuesday in which they decided to play their final group A match against the hosts, the UAE, on Wednesday. After the International Cricket Council turned down the PCB's request to remove Andy Pycroft from the match referees’ panel for the continental tournament over the handshake controversy, the latter has issued conflicting signals.

The reported threat to pull out of the rest of the tournament is expected to hurt PCB massively, as such a move could result in a revenue loss of anywhere between USD 12 million to 16 million (Rs 105 crore to Rs 141 crore) for the country. Five Test-playing nations - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan - earn 15 per cent each, constituting 75 per cent of the Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) annual revenue.

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The remaining 25 per cent is shared by Associate nations. The revenue model includes shares from broadcast deals (linear and digital), various sponsorships, ticketing, and more.

From this Asia Cup alone, the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) projected earnings are between USD 12 to 16 million, and any decision to pull out could trouble the cricketing body, which already has seen the financial struggles lately. Notably, Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) signed an eight-year deal (2024-2031) with the ACC for USD 170 million. The deal also includes the broadcast rights for the Women's Asia Cup and the Under-19 Men's Asia Cup.

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While the Pakistan cricket team cancelled their pre-match press conference, their full 15-member squad trained hard in the sweltering Dubai heat.

As per a report in Cricbuzz, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, returned to Lahore from Islamabad, where he had consulted with the government regarding the team’s continued participation in the Asia Cup.

Notably, India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets in Dubai after the Men in Blue refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts as a mark of respect to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.