Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha delivered a strong message to the Indian squad and their fans just ahead of the Asia Cup final in Dubai. Agha emphasized that he would allow his teammates the freedom to celebrate on the field during the high-stakes encounter, provided their actions remain respectful. “Every individual has the right to express emotions. If we stop fast bowlers from showing emotions what’s left then? I won’t stop anyone as long as it is not disrespectful,” Agha declared at the pre-match press conference .
Controversial Game
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His remarks follow a highly publicized week, during which Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan and pacer Haris Rauf drew criticism for their celebrations and gestures in the last Super 4s match against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Farhan’s “gunshot” celebration after his half-century where he mimicked firing a rifle with his bat sparked outrage in India and was especially sensitive given the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam five months prior .
Rauf also made headlines for appearing to troll Indian supporters at the venue with a “6-0” gesture referencing Pakistan’s claim of shooting down six Indian fighter jets during the May military conflict, and by mimicking a downed aircraft with his hand. The ICC reacted by fining Rauf 30 percent of his match fee, while Farhan escaped sanction despite the BCCI filing a complaint. In the same game, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav received a fine after dedicating India’s seven-wicket victory to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and Indian armed forces .
The tournament controversy didn’t end there. Farhan and Rauf’s actions led India to decline shaking hands with the Pakistan side during the group stage. Suryakumar Yadav avoided his counterpart Agha at the toss, resulting in a tense atmosphere and provoking the PCB to threaten a boycott of the event. The Pakistani board even tried, unsuccessfully, to have match referee Andy Pycroft removed after officiating both Indo-Pak games so far .
Handshake Snub
Tensions grew in subsequent matches, with post-game pleasantries skipped and several confrontations between players, notably involving Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Addressing the lack of handshakes, Agha commented, “I started playing U16 cricket in 2007. I never saw any teams not shaking hands. Even when Indo-Pak relations were worse we still shook hands. So, in my opinion, no handshakes in cricket aren’t good in the game,” expressing his disappointment over the escalating hostilities .
India and Pakistan are set to make history in the Asia Cup, facing each other in the final for the first time since the tournament started 41 years ago, across both ODI and T20I formats