Pakistan's final Group A clash against UAE on Wednesday night was a rollercoaster of events. The Men in Green initially looked to boycott the match due to referee Andy Pycroft's presence, before changing their course of action.
Pycroft was accused of Pakistan of being biased in favour of India. They wanted a different match referee to officiate their Asia Cup match against UAE.
Their attempts failed, resulting in the game being delayed by an hour before resuming at 9 p.m. IST. Pakistan went on to win the match by 41 runs to confirm their Super Four spot alongside India from the group.
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Following the win, former wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal went on to speak highly of the decision-makers and felt that they saved the gentleman's game.
Kamran Akmal praises PCB and Ramiz Raja
Speaking on The Game Plan YouTube channel, the former cricketer questioned how Andy Pycroft managed the situation during the India clash and felt it could have been sorted out effectively with a press conference.
He further explained how important it was to take a wise decision without getting carried away with emotions and credited the decision-makers for not panicking.
"In my eyes, cricket and its respect is saved. We call it a gentleman's game and spirit of the game is talked about. I think PCB took the decision by consulting the former PCB presidents. I think they could have saved time by calling Ramiz and Naqvi before," felt Kamran.
"It was a difficult time for us to decide without being emotional about it and pulling out. PCB chairman Ejaz Butt, Ramiz, Nazam Sethi and the legal team have looked after the future with this decision," he added.
The wicketkeeper batter who last played for Pakistan in 2017 now works as a pundit and broadcaster while continuing to play in the Legends leagues.
Most recently, he was a part of the Pakistan Champions team, which reached their second consecutive final of the World Championship of Legends; however, they suffered a defeat against the South Africa Champions.
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