Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha urged calm and sportsmanship ahead of Sunday’s ICC T20 World Cup group game in Colombo, calling for the match against India to be played “in the right spirit” despite a lingering “no-handshake” protocol from the Indian side. The fixture was confirmed only after Pakistan agreed to play following a week of political drama and the government’s withdrawal of an earlier boycott call.
The no-handshake practice began after a directive from the Indian camp last year and followed an attack in Pahalgam in April 2025 that heightened geopolitical tensions. The Indian senior men’s team refrained from shaking hands with Pakistani players through the Asia Cup 2025 trilogy.
That approach has since filtered down to age-group events, with no handshakes observed during the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament and at the U-19 Cricket World Cup, making gestures of post-match sportsmanship a visible casualty of broader tensions.
When asked whether the ice would break at the toss or after the match, Agha remained measured but firm about cricketing tradition. “The game should be played in the same spirit,” he said at a pre-match press conference. “What I expect, obviously, does not matter. But I feel that the game should be played the same way as it has been since the beginning of cricket. And the rest is up to them and whatever they want to do.”
Agha also expressed hope that India’s opener Abhishek Sharma, who missed India’s previous match against Namibia in New Delhi with a stomach illness, would be fit to play. “Really hope Abhishek plays because we want to play the best team. Hope he recovers and plays tomorrow,” he said.
Turning to the contest itself, Agha downplayed the tactical importance of the coin toss and stressed execution. “At the end of the day, if you win or lose the toss, you will win the match only if you play good cricket,” he said, adding that teams must “execute your plans to win for 40 overs.”
With both sides under intense pressure on the world stage, attention will be on whether the “spirit of the game” can rise above the diplomatic chill that has come to define this rivalry.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/sport/story/will-india-melt-pakistan-captain-salman-agha-pleads-for-spirit-of-cricket-in-high-voltage-clash-1346186-2026-02-14?utm_source=rssfeed
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-02-14 18:58:00
