Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson says they are disappointed with India’s decision not to shake hands before and after Sunday’s Asian Cup match in Dubai.
Pakistan and India only play each other in multi-team tournaments due to political tensions as bilateral cricket has been suspended since 2013.
India won the Group A match by seven wickets in the first clash between the two sides since a four-day military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in April.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said match referee Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe asked both captains – India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha – not to shake hands during the pre-game coin toss on Sunday.
The PCB, in a statement issued late last night in Urdu to domestic media, called Pycroft’s decision “against sportsmanship” and said team manager Naveed Akram Cheema had registered a “formal protest against the conduct of the match referee” with the International Cricket Council. The ICC has not yet issued a public response.
“It is extremely disappointing to see the lack of sportsmanship,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi wrote in a post on X.
“Weaving politics into the game goes against the very spirit of the sport. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated with grace by all teams.”
In the Asia Cup, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets.
Suryakumar, who scored the victory for India, did not wait for the traditional handshake with the opposition players after the match and went to the dressing room with his teammate Shivam Dube.
Agha reacted by skipping the post-match TV interview with former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar. Pakistan coach Mike Hesson called the move a “knock-on effect”.
“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game and we’re obviously disappointed that our opponents didn’t do that,” added Hesson, a New Zealander appointed to the Pakistan post in May.
“We kind of walked up there to shake hands and they went into the locker room. It was a disappointing way to end the match and in this match we were disappointed with the way we played, but we were certainly ready to shake hands.”
India and Pakistan can only meet in multi-team tournaments
Sunday’s game was the first between top cricket teams India and Pakistan since the Pahalgam attack in April when gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
India is the designated host of the eight-nation Asia Cup, but the T20 tournament is being held in the United Arab Emirates as the India and Pakistan cricket teams do not play on each other’s soil.
There was also uncertainty over India’s participation in the Asia Cup until the government clarified that cricketers would be allowed to compete against Pakistan in multinational tournaments.
Suryakumar said the Indian team had agreed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the government’s instructions that players should not shake hands with Pakistani players.
India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and batting partner Shivam Dube immediately left the field instead of shaking hands in the middle as is usually the case.
“Our government and the BCCI are united today,” Suryakumar said at the post-match press conference. “We came here just to play this game. We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam attacks, support their families and express our solidarity.”
Both teams are likely to play again in the Super 4 stage later this week if they finish first and second in Group A. India and Pakistan will also meet at the Women’s World Cup on October 5, live Sky Sport.
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