Will see tomorrow: Pak skipper Salman on handshake

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha kept the suspense about shaking hands with Indian players at the toss or after the T20 World Cup match here on Sunday, but said the game should be played in the spirit that it is meant to be. India and Pakistan players have stopped shaking hands with each other since last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces.

“We will see about it tomorrow,” Agha gave a cryptic response about the possibility of a handshake in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday. However, Agha was clear in his view that the ‘Spirit of the Game’ should be upheld under any circumstances. “Cricket should be played in (right) spirit. My personal opinion may not matter. But cricket should be played according to how it has always been meant to be played. It’s up to them to decide what to do,” Agha added.

However, it has learned that general mood in the Indian camp ahead of Sunday’s game at the Premadasa too has been more thoughtful than bullish, leaving the decision-making to the higher officials and go by their call. However when it comes to Indian team, there is general wariness about public sentiment on social media which could be extreme as the emotions in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack is still raw.

ICC wants officials of all five Asian Test playing nation to watch match together. ICC chief Jay Shah is expected to be in Colombo on Sunday, and could hold an informal meeting with representatives of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket boards. Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Aminul Islam Bulbul had said that he would be in Colombo to watch the India-Pakistan match where he expected to break ice with the BCCI after tense exchanges over the past few weeks.

Speaking to Bangladesh newspaper ‘Pratham Alo’, Islam said the invitation for the high-profile game has come from the ICC. “The ICC has taken a decision. The major stakeholders of the ICC are these five Asian countries and for the India-Pakistan World Cup match on the 15th, they want representatives of all five Asian countries to be present at the ground together, watch the match together and talk to one another,” Islam had remarked.