Pakistan break silence on handshake row in IND vs PAK, lodge protest with ACC

As per the PCB, Pakistan decided not to send Agha for the post-match ceremony in protest against India's actions in IND vs PAK

The Pakistan Cricket team has lodged a protest with the Asian Cricket Council after India refused to shake hands with the players after the IND vs PAK tie. Deviating from the usual convention of exchanging pleasantries after a game, Suryakumar Yadav and co. opted to head straight back to the dug out instead. This obviously didn’t sit well with Pakistan and now the PCB has broken its silence on the matter.

Unhappy Pakistan complain to ACC about handshake snub

As per a PCB statement, the team manager Naved Cheema lodged a strong protest against the Indian players’ actions. The Pakistan Cricket Board dubbed India’s actions as ‘unsporting and against the spirit of the game’. Further, the statement claims that captain Salman Ali Agha was asked by the match referee at the toss to not shake hands with Suryakumar. Further, the statement claims that as a protest against India, the team decided not to send captain Agha for the post-match ceremony.

“Team manager Naveed Cheema lodged a strong protest against Indian players’ behaviour of not shaking hands. It was deemed as unsporting and against the sport of the game. As a protest we did not send our captain to the post match ceremony,” read a PCB statement.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson claimed that his team was willing to shake hands but the Indian team refused to do so. Reports also claimed that Pakistan players were waiting outside the Indian dressing room but did not get any response from their counterparts. India cricket team clinched a convincing 7-wicket win against Pakistan.

Indians make stand clear

At the post-match press conference, Surya made it clear that it was a decision taken keeping in mind the sentiments of the nation, following the Pahalgam attack. “Perfect occasion, taking the time out, we stand by the victims of the families of the Pahalgam terror attack. We express our solidarity. Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery. Hope they continue to inspire us all and we give them more reasons on the ground whenever we get an opportunity to put a smile on their face,” he said.