Pakistan Bolsters Mental Health Ahead of Crucial Asia Cup Match Against India

As the India versus Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four approaches at Dubai International Stadium, Pakistan is focusing on player well-being. PCB chairman and ACC president Mohsin Naqvi visited the ICC Academy nets to motivate the team, and the board launched a new stress-management program. This program includes motivational consultant Dr. Raheel Ahmed, who has been working with players individually and in small groups since the group stage. He has focused on the challenges faced by younger players, who have been finding the pressure of the India matches difficult. The team’s decision to cancel its pre-match media conference for a second consecutive match has raised more questions about the team’s mood. In the previous match, Pakistan lost to India by seven wickets, being all out for 128. The match was followed by the ‘no-handshake’ incident, where Indian players declined to shake hands with their opponents. Suryakumar Yadav later said that this was a demonstration of support for the families affected by the Pahalgam terror attack. This angered the PCB, which questioned referee Andy Pycroft over the handshake issue. The board considered withdrawing from the tournament. However, the ICC rejected this. Tensions escalated after a video of Pycroft’s pre-match dialogue with the Pakistan camp went viral. The PCB saw this as an apology, which the ICC refuted, explaining that the referee’s aim was to clarify the misunderstanding. The governing body also issued a strong email to the PCB, citing protocol breaches.