Pakistan beg India for “prior handshake intimation” before Asia Cup Super 4 clash

India will lock horns with Pakistan in the Super Fours stage match at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Sunday, September 21, during the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Ahead of the clash, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has cautioned its players to avoid politicizing the game and stay focused solely on cricket.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led team will take on Pakistan for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup. India defeated the Men in Green by seven wickets at the same venue in Dubai during the group stage. The Men in Blue remain unbeaten with three wins, while Pakistan have won two of their three matches so far.

Pakistan Warns India Before Asia Cup 2025 Super Four Clash

According to Cricket Pakistan, the Pakistan team has warned Suryakumar Yadav’s side against politicizing their upcoming Super 4 clash. They requested prior notice if India plans to avoid post-match handshakes.

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“We are not eager to shake hands with Indian cricketers, but prior intimation should be given,” PCB sources stated.

The Pakistan management has advised players to avoid political controversies and focus fully on their upcoming match against India. The selection of the match referee is still pending, with Richie Richardson being considered for the role.

The Men in Blue skipped handshakes following their group-stage encounter on September 14. Notably, the Pakistan team even threatened to withdraw from the UAE match if referee Andy Pycroft was not replaced. Pycroft later issued an apology for the misunderstanding in the situation.

We Are Prepared for Every Challenge - Salman Ali Agha

Speaking about the India clash, Salman Ali Agha stated that the team is ready for all challenges in the Super Four stage. Agha added that batting in the middle overs could help Pakistan post competitive totals.

“We are prepared for every challenge, including India, in the Super Four stage. We need to improve our middle-order batting, which is a concern and requires hard work," Salman stated.

"Apart from that, we fulfilled our responsibility well. We have yet to showcase our best batting; so far, we’ve only managed around 150 runs. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can post 170 runs against any opponent,” he added.

India Defeats Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 Group Stage Clash

Pakistan struggled with their batting in the group-stage match against India, managing only 127/9 in 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan was Pakistan’s top scorer with 40 off 44 balls, while Shaheen Afridi hit an unbeaten 33 off 16 deliveries, including four sixes.

Kuldeep Yadav recorded bowling figures of 3/18. Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed one apiece. Pakistan never found momentum throughout their innings.

Chasing 128, the Men in Blue completed the target in just 15.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma scored 31 off 13 balls, Tilak Varma made a run-a-ball 31, and Suryakumar Yadav smashed an unbeaten 47 off 37 balls, including five fours and a six.

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin tears apart Pakistan; tells them to apologise to Andy Pycroft