DUBAI: The Asia Cup captains’ press conference at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday was a cautious opening act. Eight skippers lined up on stage, but all eyes were inevitably on the men from India and Pakistan. The mood was tense, bordering on brittle.Mohsin Naqvi, president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), made a fleeting entry to unveil the trophy before slipping into the backroom without taking any questions. Naqvi, interestingly, is also the interior minister of Punjab in Pakistan. For the record, although India are the official hosts, no BCCI official was present. This was understandable, given the palpable anger back home in the wake of the tensions between the two countries earlier this year.India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistan counterpart, Salman Ali Agha, tried to ease into the spotlight with a few smiles but exchanged no words, just a cold handshake once their mandatory duties were over. On stage, Surya and Salman were separated by Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, the organisers’ carefully chosen buffer. There were half-smiles, but no eye contact, no small talk — nothing to suggest even a momentary thaw.Reporters were urged to steer clear of politics, but that was wishful thinking as one question slipped through. A journalist asked both captains whether, considering the recent situation between the two countries, there was a need to instruct players to keep their tempers in check. The replies couldn’t have been more different.“Aggression is always there when we take the field. I don’t think you can play sports without aggression. I’m very excited to take the field tomorrow,” Surya said.Salman answered with a shrug of indifference: “You don’t need to say anything to any player because everyone is very different. If anyone wants to be aggressive on the field, he’s more than welcome. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive — you can’t stop them, because that’s what keeps them going. From my side, there are no instructions to anyone, as long as it stays on the ground.”India and Pakistan will meet on Sunday, though interestingly the match has not yet been declared a sell-out — despite tickets reportedly being unavailable. They’re blaming the excessive heat for it, but there are good chances that the stadium will be packed to the rafters as the game draws closer.
The new-look Pakistan side — missing Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — had a solid workout in the build-up. They played four back-to-back T20I series, including a triangular against Afghanistan and the UAE.RASHID’S GROUSE, ASALANKA’S SLEEP ISSUESInterestingly, the ACC chose to unveil the trophy only a few hours before Afghanistan and Hong Kong-China locked horns in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan captain Rashid expressed his displeasure with the tight schedule.“Well, I don’t think it’s ideal — that’s what we discussed (with the other captains) before as well. To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games…it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things.”Meanwhile, Sri Lanka arrived in Dubai from Harare only a few hours prior, and their captain Charith Asalanka appeared noticeably sleep-deprived.“Right now, I’m feeling very sleepy. I should answer it tomorrow I think,” Asalanka quipped. “No, I mean it’s really hard to play back-to-back games in Zimbabwe on Sept 6 and 7. And then travel here straightaway. I think actually we need to have a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us.”