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DUBAI: Pakistan canceled a pre-match press conference at the Asia Cup on Tuesday as the fallout rumbles on from a handshake row with arch-rivals India.

The Pakistan team did however turn up for practice on the eve of Wednesday’s group game against hosts the United Arab Emirates.

“Pakistan has decided not to hold their pre-match press conference today,” a short message from the Asian Cricket Council said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is awaiting a response from the International Cricket Council over a protest about match referee Andy Pycroft.

The Zimbabwean oversaw Sunday’s politically charged clash with India, after which the victorious India team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.

The PCB alleged that Pycroft told Pakistan skipper Salman Agha not to shake hands with Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav before the match.

Pycroft is scheduled to be the match referee for the game on Wednesday.

If Pakistan beat the home side in Dubai they will face neighbors India again on Sunday in the next round.

Last Sunday’s seven-wicket defeat to India was the first time the rivals had faced off in cricket since the countries fought a brief but deadly border conflict in May.

MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s revamped line-up faces an early test in their Champions League opener at home against Club World Cup winners Chelsea on Wednesday.
A rematch of the 2012 final at the same venue, won on penalties by the English club, Bayern have little time to settle after a summer of upheaval, particularly up front.
Forwards Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Mueller and Mathys Tel all left in the summer. Only two replacements have been brought in: Luis Diaz, from Liverpool, and Nicolas Jackson, from Chelsea on loan.
With Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies out with long-term injuries, the lack of summer activity earned Bayern some rare criticism from talisman Harry Kane.
Not known for controversial statements, the 32-year-old Kane called Bayern’s squad “thin,” adding “maybe one of the smallest I’ve had in my career.”
With four goals and two assists in his opening five games, Diaz has hit the ground running in Germany.
But Chelsea, crowned Cup World Cup winners after a dominant display against Paris Saint-Germain just two months ago, are likely to pose a sterner test.
Like Chelsea, Bayern are expected to make it out of the league phase but have their sights set on qualifying directly and avoiding another two-legged knockout tie.
Last year, Bayern finished 12th and struggled to get past Celtic, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Kane admitted on Saturday the extra burden cut their momentum later in the season.
“It’s important to be in the top eight because that extra game can make a big difference.
“Last year, playing that Celtic game home and away in our busiest period, it made a big difference, and we ended up losing a few players after that period in March.
“It’s important to start well.”
Just over 13 years since Chelsea upset Bayern in their own backyard, both sides have since won another Champions League title.
Mueller’s summer departure leaves Bayern captain Manuel Neuer as the only player from either team set to take part on Wednesday.

- Jackson’s ‘hard role to play’ -
Jackson came off the bench in his Bayern debut on Saturday and is unlikely to start against his parent club on Wednesday.
But moments after Jackson’s debut, the England captain said the Senegal striker was more than just a “back-up.”
“I think a lot of people assume that, but he’s someone who can play across the whole front four, and I think there’ll be many times we’ll play together.
“I don’t see him as a back-up — I see him as an attacking player who can help us.”
With Kane, Diaz, Michael Olize and Serge Gnabry impressing for Bayern this season, Jackson will have limited opportunities at first — a difficult task for a player often criticized for missing crucial chances.
It is a role familiar to former Bayern striker Claudio Pizarro, who became a super-sub behind Mario Gomez, Mario Mandzukic and later Robert Lewandowski during a near 15-year association with the club.
Pizarro, who also had a stint at Chelsea, told AFP in Berlin on Saturday: “In my situation during my time at Bayern, I knew my job.
“I have to come in, score my goals, be ready to do my thing when I have the chance.
“It’s a hard role to play. I hope (Jackson) will adapt like Luis (Diaz).”
A six-time German champion, Pizarro said Jackson’s arrival could unleash healthy competition like that which drove Bayern to the treble in 2013, a year after the painful loss to Chelsea.
Pizarro revealed how the rivalry between his former teammates Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on each wing pushed Bayern to greater heights.
“One wanted to be the best, the other as well: Franck and Arjen. They were great for us, but they always wanted to be better than the other.
“It was a good fight.”