Amidst tensions, Pakistan's captain remains undecided on a pre-match handshake with India at the T20 World Cup, emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship and the spirit of cricket.
Key Points
- Pakistan's captain is uncertain about whether his players will shake hands with India before their T20 World Cup match.
- India previously declined handshakes with Pakistan as a mark of respect for terror attack victims and in solidarity with the Indian Army.
- The same protocol of no handshakes is expected to be followed during the upcoming match.
- Pakistan's captain emphasizes playing the game in the spirit of cricket amidst prevailing tensions.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha kept the suspense about shaking hands with India's players at the toss or after the T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday, but said the game should be played in the spirit that it is meant to be.
India and Pakistan players have stopped shaking hands with each other since last year's Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces.
"We will see about it tomorrow," was Agha's cryptic response about the possibility of a handshake, in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
However, he was clear in his view that the 'Spirit of the Game' should be upheld.
"Cricket should be played in (right) spirit. My personal opinion may not matter. But cricket should be played according to how it has always been meant to be played. It's up to them to decide what to do," Agha added.
The general mood in the Indian camp ahead of Sunday's game at the Premadasa has been more thoughtful than bullish, leaving the decision-making to the higher officials and go by their call.
When it comes to the Indian team, there is general wariness about public sentiment on social media which could be extreme as the emotions in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack are still raw.
ICC wants officials of all five Asian Test-playing nations to watch match together.
ICC chief Jay Shah is expected to be in Colombo on Sunday, and could hold an informal meeting with representatives of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket boards.
Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Aminul Islam Bulbul had said that he would be in Colombo to watch the India-Pakistan match where he expected to break ice with the BCCI after tense exchanges over the past few weeks.
Speaking to Bangladesh newspaper Pratham Alo, Islam said the invitation for the high-profile game had come from the ICC.
"The ICC has taken a decision. The major stakeholders of the ICC are these five Asian countries and for the India-Pakistan World Cup match on the 15th, they want representatives of all five Asian countries to be present at the ground together, watch the match together and talk to one another," Islam had remarked.
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