Agha makes scathing remarks against India post the Final, says they are ‘disrespecting cricket’ with their conduct.
Salman Agha, the captain of Pakistan, has blasted India for their “disappointing” performance at the Asia Cup.
“What India have done this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha said at the press conference after the final. “They’re not disrespecting us by not shaking hands, they’re disrespecting cricket. Good teams don’t do what they did today [refusing to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi]. We went to pose with the trophy on our own because we wanted to fulfil our obligations. We stood there and took our medals. I don’t want to use harsh words but they’ve been very disrespectful.”
There was more than a ninety-minute wait before the presentation ceremony started after India defeated Pakistan in the final over of the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday. However, India declined to take the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC president, PCB chairman, and Pakistan’s interior minister.
It was the result of several instances in which India sought to restrict communication with Pakistani officials and players during the competition.
Agha claimed he had nothing against Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India. He asserted that in the three games the teams have faced off against one another, Suryakumar would have shook hands with Agha prior to the tosses.
“He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament,” Agha said. “Both at the pre-tournament press conference and when we met in the referee’s meeting. But when they’re out in the world in front of the cameras, they don’t shake our hands. I’m sure he’s following the instructions he’s been given, but if it was up to him, he’d shake hands with me.”
The teams stood apart in their huddles as they awaited the start of the presentation ceremony, and as in the previous two India-Pakistan matches in this tournament, there were no handshakes during the final or after the game. Agha blamed the opposition directly and claimed that the events had not set a positive example for people watching the game in Pakistan or India.
“I’m not just a Pakistan captain, I’m a cricket fan,” Agha said. “If a kid is watching in India or Pakistan, we’re not sending them a good message. People think of us as role models, but if we’re behaving like this, we’re not inspiring them. What happened shouldn’t have happened, but you should ask the people [India] responsible for this rather than me.”