Salman Agha threw his cheque in anger after India refused to accept the trophy
He Said Suryakumar Yadav allegedly shook hands privately but avoided public gestures
He blasted India for “disrespecting cricket”
The atmosphere after India’s ninth Asia Cup triumph was far from celebratory for Pakistan as captain Salman Agha lashed out following the tournament’s bitter finale in Dubai.
The post-match presentation descended into chaos with Agha throwing his prize cheque in frustration and condemning India for their behaviour at the trophy ceremony.
Salman Agha Throwing Cheque - Watch
“Surya Shook Hands With Me Privately” - Agha Claims
One particular point of tension was Agha’s claim that India captain Suryakumar Yadav did shake hands with him in private meetings but refused to do so in public or in front of cameras.
Speaking at the post match press conference after India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets, he said “He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament. Both at the pre-tournament press conference and when we met in the referee's meeting. But when they're out 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.”
Agha: “India Disrespected Cricket, Not Just Us”
Agha did not mince his words when he accused India of disrespecting the spirit of the game.
“What India has done in this tournament is very disappointing. 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 fulfill our obligations. We stood there and took our medals. I don't want to use harsh words, but they've been very disrespectful. This is the first time I've ever seen this happen. Whatever happened in this tournament was very bad, and I hope it stops at some stage because it's bad for cricket.”
Wrong Message Sent To Fans
Criticising the impact on cricket followers, especially young fans, Agha said, “I'm not just a Pakistan captain, I'm a cricket fan. If a kid is 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.”
Ending his explosive press conference, Agha announced that the Pakistan team would donate their entire match fees from the Asia Cup to “Pakistani civilians who were killed during Operation Sindoor" in May.
