NEW DELHI: After days of uncertainty, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has backed down from its withdrawal threat and confirmed that the team will play its final Asia Cup group match against the UAE in Dubai on Wednesday.

PCB insiders revealed that a "middle-ground" compromise was reached, under which match referee Andy Pycroft will not oversee Pakistan's fixtures. Instead, Richie Richardson has been brought in to officiate their must-win encounter.

The controversy erupted after India's players declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts on Sunday, a gesture made in solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. In response, the PCB demanded Pycroft's removal from the tournament, alleging a breach of ICC regulations-an appeal the world body swiftly rejected.

Adding a twist, the rejection letter sent to the PCB bore the signature of ICC general manager Waseem Khan, who once served as the board's own chief executive.

The whole saga unfolded with plenty of intrigue after the ICC turned down the PCB's plea. Eventually, the board managed to persuade the ICC to appoint Richie Richardson as match referee for the UAE clash - a move seen as a face-saver for PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan's interior minister in the Shahbaz Sharif government.

Meanwhile, sections of the Pakistani media reported that Naqvi's meeting with Prime Minister Sharif earlier in the day was largely focused on interior ministry matters and not directly linked to the Asia Cup withdrawal threat.

In fact, if Pakistan had pulled out of the tournament, they would have lost around USD 16 million, which is a significant amount for a cricket board not half as rich as the BCCI.

Earlier, there was a scheduled press conference on Tuesday evening ahead of the UAE game but around an hour and a half before the Pakistan team's arrival for training, it was cancelled.

"They want to keep cards close to the chest and not answer any questions about boycott," a PCB insider, aware of developments, had told PTI.

Amid the buzz that the team might skip the training, the players checked in even as the Indians continued with their gruelling session, which had entered the third hour by then.

The intensity of the two training sessions said it all about the gulf in standards that is widening exponentially with each passing day.

While the Indians had a full-fledged warm-up session with even the likes of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma doing Bronco runs under Adrian Le Roux, the Pakistan team's training comprised an archaic passing-the-football session, something that was in vogue 15 years back.

While one can argue that the team is relaxed despite the on-field hammering from India and the off-field issues, the noise and banter in the company of the strength and conditioning coach did tell a story about suppressed tension, even as the Indian media watched the session from close.

Not once did any Pakistani player venture towards the Indian arena to have a look as their nets started under head coach Mike Hesson.

Meanwhile, on the request of the Indian media contingent, skipper Suryakumar Yadav cut a cake to celebrate his 35th birthday belatedly. His birthday was on Sunday (September 14), when India notched up a convincing victory over Pakistan.

(With PTI Inputs)