Pakistani leader Salman Ali Agha announced that the team will donate their competition costs from the Asia Cup final to the families of citizens and children who lost their lives in the Indian attacks last May.
Agha focused on a post-match press and also criticized the “disappointing” behavior of India during the tournament.
“What India has done this tournament is very disappointing. They are not not respect for us by not shaking hands, they are not respect for cricket,” Pakistan’s captain told reporters.
“Good teams do not do what they did today. We were only placed with the trophy because we wanted to meet our obligations. We stood there and have taken our medals. I don’t want to use harsh words, but they have been very disrespectful.”
Pakistan lost the final of India in a final thriller on Sunday.
Agha said he had no personal problem with the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and believed that Yadav would have shaken hands if it had been his decision.
“He shook me in his hand at the start of the tournament. Both at the press conference before the tournament and when we met in the meeting of the referee. But when they are in the world in front of the cameras, they don’t shake our hands.
The Pakistani skipper stated that there was no precedent for teams who refused to shake hands and called it harmful to the spirit of the game.
“This is the first time I have ever seen this happen,” he said. “What happened in this tournament was very bad, and I hope it stops at some point because it is bad for cricket. Everything that happened today was a consequence of everything that happened earlier. Of course the ACC president will give the trophy to the winners. If you won’t take the trophy, how do you come?”
Just like in the previous two games in India-Pakistan, neither of them exchanged hands of hands before or after the final. Players stayed in separate Huddles while waiting for the ceremony to start.
“I’m not just a Pakistani captain, I’m a cricket fan,” said Agha. “If watching a child in India or Pakistan, we will not send them a good message. People consider us role models, but if we behave like that, we don’t inspire them. What happened should not have happened, but you should ask people [India] Responsible for this instead of me. “
Before Agha ended the press conference, Agha spoke about the team’s decision to support victims of the recent Indian attacks.
“As a team we donate our Asia Cup Final Match fees to the families of citizens and children who are affected in the Indian attacks on Pakistan,” said Salman Agha in his final remarks before completing the press conference.
