Pakistan Criticizes India’s Sportsmanship Over Post-Match Handshake Snub

India triumphed over Pakistan by seven wickets in their Asia Cup clash in Dubai, resulting in a delay of several minutes before the post-match presentation began. Although the ceremony was eventually conducted, Salman Ali Agha was notably absent. Present at the event were India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and Player-of-the-Match Kuldeep Yadav.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement indicating that Team Manager Naveed Cheema lodged a formal protest regarding the Indian players’ refusal to shake hands, describing it as unsportsmanlike and contrary to the spirit of the game. This protest was cited as the reason for not sending their captain to the ceremony.

In a prior press conference, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson attributed Agha’s absence to India’s decision against handshaking both at the toss and post-match.

Cricbuzz has learned that at the toss, match referee Andy Pycroft advised Salman Agha not to shake hands with India’s Suryakumar.

The PCB reportedly experienced dissatisfaction with Pycroft’s approach but refrained from naming him in their press release. Meanwhile, Indian sources indicated that Suryakumar opted not to shake hands with UAE captain Muhammad Waseem during the toss, although the teams did exchange handshakes after the match concluded.

During the post-match press conference, Suryakumar commented on India’s position, stating, “a few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit,” and asserting that his team had “given a proper reply” to Pakistan.