Not shaking hands is not good for cricket: Salman Agha

On the eve of Sunday’s Asia Cup closing, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha weighed into the handshake row for the primary time because it flared up after the group-stage assembly versus India on September 14. After a seven-wicket win in a Group-A fixture, India’s gamers and help employees had refused to change handshakes with the Pakistan contingent. There was no change in India’s stance for the second assembly within the Super Four section both.

“I started playing cricket professionally in 2007 at the under-16 level. I’ve never seen two teams not exchange handshakes after a match,” the 31-year-old middle-order batter stated on the pre-match press convention on Saturday.

“My father is also a cricket fan and he has also never told me about anything like this happening either. Matches between India and Pakistan have happened before as well. The situation has been tense before as well, but handshakes were part of the convention. Not shaking hands is not good for cricket.”

In a event that has witnessed extra off-field drama than engrossing on-field motion, Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan have triggered ire for their “provocative gestures” over the past assembly between the 2 groups. While Farhan celebrated his half-century with a machine-gun gesture, Rauf depicted the downing of an plane whereas fielding on the boundary.

Asked whether or not it is incumbent on the captain to restrain his gamers throughout Sunday’s closing, Agha stated: “Every player knows how to deal with his emotions. I give a free hand to players to react the way they want as long as they don’t disrespect anyone. Within the limits, I have no problem with aggression from any player, whether it is from our team or our opponent.”