COLOMBO: India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistan opposite number Salman Agha did not shake hands at the coin toss for their T20 World Cup showdown in Colombo on Sunday.&nbsp;Agha won the toss and elected to bowl in the Group A match, which was only confirmed as going ahead six days ago when the Pakistan government made a U-turn on a threat to boycott the match.&nbsp;Suryakumar also did not shake hands with Agha in any of their three matches at the Asia Cup in Dubai last year, including the final.&nbsp;The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket was in doubt after Bangladesh refused to play their T20 World Cup matches in India and were kicked out, replaced by Scotland.&nbsp;The Pakistan government protested and responded by ordering its team to boycott the India game in Sri Lanka, the tournament&#39;s co-hosts.&nbsp;The cricket teams of the nuclear-armed neighbours only meet in multi-nation tournaments at neutral venues as part of a compromise deal.&nbsp;It has been more than 18 years since India and Pakistan last met in a Test match, and 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series.&nbsp;The 35,000-capacity R.Premadasa Stadium was sold out for the clash, with tickets going for more than four times face value on the black market.&nbsp;Excitement was building outside the ground before the start of the hotly awaited clash.

Cricket

At the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match in Colombo, India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Agha skipped a handshake amid political tensions. Pakistan won the toss and chose to field.

No handshake between India, Pakistan captains before T20 World Cup clash

COLOMBO: Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said Saturday his team had been &quot;always ready&quot; to face India on Sunday at the T20 World Cup, despite only being given the green light a few days ago.&nbsp;The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket has <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indiapakistan-hottest-ticket-in-cricket-sparks-t20-world-cup-fever" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">sold out</a> the 35,000-capacity R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on television.&nbsp;&quot;This is a very big game and the magnitude is huge,&quot; Agha said ahead of the team&#39;s practice at the stadium on Saturday.&nbsp;&quot;We were always ready for the game, whatever be the decision.&quot;&nbsp;Pakistan had a scrappy last over three-wicket win in their first match against the Netherlands before beating the United States by 32 runs. India have also won both their matches so far.&nbsp;&quot;We are in good momentum and I hope that being in Colombo since the start will help us in terms of conditions,&quot; said Agha.&nbsp;But he warned: &quot;We have to play good cricket to win the match.&quot;&nbsp;The hugely-anticipated match could be hit by bad weather, with rain forecast for Sunday evening.&nbsp;Agha believed spin would dominate, calling Tariq Usman his trump card against India&#39;s powerful batting line-up.&nbsp;&quot;Tariq has been bowling well and I am sure the mystery element will make him our trump card,&quot; Agha said, brushing aside doubts over the legality of Tariq&#39;s unique sling-arm action and the exaggerated pause in his delivery stride.&nbsp;&quot;He has been cleared twice so there are no worries.&quot;&nbsp;Agha hoped the players would shake hands, unlike during their three Asia Cup matches in Dubai last year.&nbsp;&quot;The game should be played in the true spirit of the game,&quot; said Agha.&nbsp;&quot;It has been the norm in cricket for years but whatever way they want, we will only know tomorrow.&quot;&nbsp;The winner will be guaranteed of their berth in the next Super Eights round.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha expressed strong confidence ahead of the sold-out T20 World Cup clash against India at R. Premadasa Stadium, highlighting team momentum, spin strength, and readiness despite rain.

Pakistan 'always ready' for India despite late green light: Agha

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ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Faheem Ashraf&rsquo;s late salvo rescued Pakistan against Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday. Pakistan won their T20 opening encounter against the Dutch by 3 wickets and 3 balls remaining. &nbsp; From Pakistan Sahibzada Farhan scored 47, Saim Ayub 24, and Faheem Ashraf 29.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-6" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-6&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2020064432043487609&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=393ffcf903aaafb51ab8d42de17b83db68fc8b42&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 899px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2020064432043487609"></iframe></div></div>From the Dutch side Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren bagged two wickets each. Earlier, Pakistan restricted Netherlands to 147 in 19.5 overs, in their opening T20 World Cup encounter in Colombo. Dutch skipper Scott Edwards was the top scorer with 37 runs off 29 balls with a strike rate of 127.58. Bas de Leede contributed 30 runs off 25 deliveries, while Michael Levitt impressed with 24 runs from just 15 balls, including three boundaries and a six. Extras added three more to the total. Pakistan&rsquo;s bowlers were led by Salman Mirza, who claimed three wickets for 24 runs in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub picked up two wickets apiece, while Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in with a wicket. Shadab Khan bowled economically, conceding just 26 runs in four overs. Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against Netherlands in their opening match of the ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup 2026, being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

 Netherlands innings saw Scott Edwards, the Dutch captain, lead from the front with a top score of 37 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 127.58; in reply, from Pakistan Sahibzada Farhan scored 47, Saim Ayub 24, and Faheem Ashraf 29.  

Faheem Ashraf’s late salvo rescues Pakistan against Netherlands

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan rode on a fighting century from Salman Agha and four wickets from Haris Rauf to beat Sri Lanka by six runs in the opening one-day international in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Agha scored an unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, which guided Pakistan to an imposing 299-5 before Rauf grabbed 4-61 to keep Sri Lanka to 293-9 in 50 overs, giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. For Sri Lanka, debutant Kamil Mishara, who scored 38, and Pathum Nissanka, who made 29, set the platform with a solid 85-run opening stand before Rauf dismissed both the openers and Kusal Mendis (nought) in the space of just five runs. Sadeera Samarawickrama (39) and skipper Charith Asalanka (32) fought their team back with a fourth wicket stand of 57 but Rauf broke the stand with Babar Azam taking a splendid slip catch to send Samarawickrama back. Sri Lanka were down and out at 210-7, but Wanindu Hasaranga fought a lone battle with a fiery 52-ball 59 to bring the equation to 23 in the last two overs, before holing out with eight balls and 21 needed. Hasaranga hit seven boundaries while Janith Liyanage hit two sixes and as many boundaries in his 28. Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said his team put up a good total. &quot;Agha and (Hussain) Talat batted very well to take us to 299,&quot; said Shaheen. &quot;A target of 300 was good, and then Haris gave us crucial wickets.&quot; Asalanka admitted that bowlers conceded extra runs. &quot;The way Agha and Talat batted, it took the game away,&quot; said Asalanka. &quot;We gave away too many runs, it should have been under 270.&quot; Earlier, Agha hit his second ODI century while Talat made 62, lifting the home team from a precarious 95-4 after they were sent in to bat. Sri Lanka spinner Hasaranga had jolted the home team with figures of 3-54, before Agha and Talat added 138 for the fifth wicket to revive the innings. Talat was finally dismissed in the 44th over, having hit a six and six fours in his maiden ODI fifty. Agha struck nine boundaries, helping Pakistan add 104 in the last 10 overs alongside Mohammad Nawaz who scored a brisk 23-ball 36 not out. It was pacer Asitha Fernando who provided the tourists a breakthrough in the fifth over when he trapped opener Saim Ayub leg-before for six. Fakhar Zaman (32) and Babar Azam (29) added 54 runs for the second wicket as Pakistan crawled to 28 in the first 10 overs and finally reached 50 in the 16th. Hasaranga then produced a 16-ball spell of destruction, removing Zaman, Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan (five).

Agha scores unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, guides Pakistan to imposing 299-5; Rauf grabs 4-61 to keep Sri Lanka to 293-9 in 50 overs, giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.



Pakistan upstage Sri Lanka in first ODI as Agha and Rauf shine

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan will face off in the 14th match of the Men&rsquo;s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Four stage on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.&nbsp;&nbsp;The match will start at 7:30 p.m. local time.&nbsp;Recent resultsIndia is leading Group A after winning all three group matches, earning six points with a net run rate of 3.547, including defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Pakistan.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Pakistan holds second place with four points, winning two of three games; their only loss was to India. Pakistan won against the UAE and Oman.&nbsp;Possible squadIndia&rsquo;s squad is captained by Suryakumar Yadav, with vice-captain Shubman Gill. Batters include Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, and Rinku Singh while bowlers include Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav.&nbsp; Axar Patel is part of the squad but may miss the game due to a recent head injury. The Pakistani side will be captained by Salman Agha, supported by batters Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan. The bowling line-up features Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Hasan Nawaz.&nbsp;VenueUmpires Asif Yaqoob and Rohan Pandit will officiate, with Virender Sharma as TV umpire. Andy Pycroft will serve as match referee.&nbsp;The game will be played under floodlights in a 20-over format, with an interval between innings.&nbsp;Political context and rivalry Historically, India-Pakistan cricket matches carry political and emotional significance beyond the sport. The rivalry has been marked by tension in recent years, with incidents such as India&rsquo;s players not shaking hands with Pakistan&rsquo;s team after their group match this tournament.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spoke about breaches in conduct and governance by the Indian side. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) found no protocol violations in the disputed incidents.&nbsp;Group A points table<table id="isPasted"><thead><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Team</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">Matches Played</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">Wins</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">Losses</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">Points</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">Net Run Rate</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">India</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">3</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">0</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">6</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">3.547</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Pakistan</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">2</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">1</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">4</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">1.790</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">United Arab Emirates</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">1</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">2</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">2</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-1.984</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Oman</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">0</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">3</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">0</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-2.600</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

India-Pakistan Asia Cup showdown: Politics fuels drama 

Pakistan comes into this match after winning the recent tri-series in the U.A.E, while Oman is making its Asia Cup debut this year.

Articles tagged with "Salman Ali Agha"

No handshake between India, Pakistan captains before T20 World Cup clash

Pakistan 'always ready' for India despite late green light: Agha

Faheem Ashraf’s late salvo rescues Pakistan against Netherlands

Pakistan upstage Sri Lanka in first ODI as Agha and Rauf shine

India-Pakistan Asia Cup showdown: Politics fuels drama

Pakistan win toss, elects to bat first against Oman in T20 Asia Cup opener