Pakistan captain Salman Agha hints at controversial gestures continuing in Asia Cup final: 'Won't stop anyone...'

Pakistan captain Salman Agha has sent a warning to the Indian team and its fans on the eve of the Asia Cup final in Dubai, stating that he will not be stopping his teammates from expressing themselves on the field through celebrations during the high-voltage clash in Dubai. Agha, however, claimed that he would give his players complete freedom to express themselves so long as they are not “disrespectful”.

Agha defends his teammates’ right to ’express emotions’

Agha’s comments come a week after opener Sahibzada Farhan and pacer Haris Rauf courted controversy for their on-field celebrations and other gestures during the Asia Cup Super 4s match against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium – the venue where the two sides will be squaring off less than 24 hours from now.

“Every individual has the right to express emotions. If we stop fast bowlers from showing emotions what’s left then? I won’t stop anyone as long as it is not disrespectful,” Agha said during the pre-match press conference.

Farhan celebrated his half-century with a “gunshot” celebration – using his bat as a dummy rifle – which was quickly met with angry reactions from India, especially since the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam had taken place just five months ago.

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Later in the same game, Rauf attempted to troll Indian supporters at the venue by making “6-0” gestures with his fingers and also mimicking a falling aircraft with his hand. The gesture refers to the Pakistan armed forces’ claim of shooting down six Indian fighter jets during the four-day military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

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While Farhan escaped sanction after the BCCI filed a complaint with the ICC, Rauf was fined 30 per cent of his match fee. Additionally, India captain Suryakumar Yadav also copped a fine for dedicating the Men in Blue’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the group stage to the Pahalgam attack victims as well as Indian armed forces.

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The ongoing tournament also witnessed the Indian team refuse to shake hands of the Pakistanis during the group stage, with captain Surya also ignoring his opposite number Agha during the toss.

The handshake row led to a massive controversy with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatening to boycott the tournament at one point and unsuccessfully attempting to get Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft, who has officiated in both Indo-Pak matches so far, removed from the event.

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India’s cold shoulder to Pakistan continued in the subsequent game, where the teams not only ignored pre as well as post-match pleasantries but also had multiple run-ins between players, with especially between Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and Pakistani pacers Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

‘I never saw any teams not shaking hands’

Reacting to the no-handshake policy between the two teams, Agha said that he had never seen such a thing in India-Pakistan matches even when relations between the two nations were worse than they currently are.

“I started playing U16 cricket in 2007. I never saw any teams not shaking hands. Even when Indo-Pak relations were worse we still shook hands. So, in my opinion, no handshakes in cricket aren’t good in the game,” the spin-bowling all-rounder continued.

The upcoming showdown between the two arch-rivals will be the first time India and Pakistan face each other in the 41-year history of the Asia Cup – across ODI and T20I formats.

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India currently are on a six-match unbeaten streak in the tournament, having maintained their unbeaten run with a thrilling Super Over victory over Sri Lanka in the final Super Fours match of the tournament.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have taken the more complicated route to the final, having huffed and puffed their way through the second round by winning low-scoring encounters against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the latter by just 11 runs.