Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has finally addressed the handshake dispute with the Indian squad during the 2025 Asia Cup. Although the action on the field when these two sides engaged was one-sided, the rivalry between the two teams has gotten more intense with more focus being placed on off-field antics than on the caliber of play.
Since India refused to shake hands with Pakistan players, taking a stand in solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, tensions between the two teams have been running high.
The situation intensified after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused match referee Andy Pycroft of preventing the customary handshake between the two skippers during the Group Stage clash. The PCB even threatened to pullout of the tournament if Pycroft wasn’t replaced, but the ICC rejected their demand.
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Salman opined on the subject before the crucial final against India, stating that he hasn't seen anything like this and implied that it isn't beneficial for cricket.
“I started playing professional cricket since 2007, and I have not seen two teams not shaking hands. My father is also an avid cricket fan and I have heard stories from him too, so you can go back 20 years and such an incident hasn't happened. I have heard nothing like this has happened in the past. India and Pakistan have played in the past, too, where the situations were worse than the current times, but still players used to shake hands. I think not shaking hands with each other isn't good for cricket,” Agha said in the pre-match press conference.
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During the Super Four match, when Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill were thrashing the Pakistan bowlers, the players got into several heated arguments with Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi. Haris, meanwhile, received a 30 percent match fee fine for acting rudely and aggressively, but according to Salman, he has no issues with the bowlers being aggressive on the field.
“If you take away the aggression from the fast bowlers, then I don't think he will bowl with the same effectiveness he should have, so I have no problem with that. If any individual wants to get aggressive on the field, be it from our side or their side, they are most welcome,” he added.
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