Pakistan donate Asia Cup final fees to victims of May strikes, Agha slams India's conduct

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said Monday the team would donate their Asia Cup final match fees to families of civilians and children killed in the May Indian attacks, while slamming India’s “disappointing” conduct during the tournament.

“What India have done this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told reporters after the final in Dubai. 

“They’re not disrespecting us by not shaking hands, they’re disrespecting cricket. Good teams don’t do what they did today. 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.”

Pakistan lost the final to India in a last-over thriller on Sunday. 

The post-match presentation was delayed for more than 90 minutes after the Indian side refused to accept the trophy from ACC president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister. It capped a series of incidents where India avoided contact with Pakistan players and officials throughout the tournament.

Agha said he had no personal issue with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and believed Yadav would have shaken hands if it had been his decision.

“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 Pakistan skipper said there was no precedent for teams refusing to shake hands, calling it damaging to the spirit of the game.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen,” he said. “Whatever happened in this tournament was very bad, and I hope it stops at some stage because it’s bad for cricket. Everything that happened today was a consequence of all that happened before. Of course the ACC president will give the trophy to the winners. If you won’t take the trophy from him, how will you get it?”

As in the previous two India-Pakistan matches, neither side exchanged handshakes before or after the final. Players stayed in separate huddles while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

“I’m not just a Pakistan captain, I’m a cricket fan,” Agha said. “If a kid’s 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.”

Before ending the press conference, Agha spoke about the team’s decision to support victims of the recent Indian attacks.

“As a team, we are donating our Asia Cup final match fees to the families of civilians and children affected in the Indian attacks on Pakistan,” Salman Agha said in his closing remarks before wrapping up the press conference.