Glenn Maxwell Clarifies Handshake Incident after Tri-Series Final

Glenn Maxwell has clarified the reports suggesting he snubbed Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after Sunday’s T20I tri-series final in Harare. The Australia all-rounder refuted the reports by claiming the incident was a “genuine oversight”.

Maxwell landed in hot waters after footage showed him walking past Sarfraz following Pakistan’s six-wicket win in the finals of the T20I tr-series in Zimbabwe against Australia.

The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman had his hand exchanged ready for a handshake but Maxwell appeared to ignore it. No players from the Pakistan team have spoken on the topic yet.

Australia's Glenn Maxwell fails to shake hands with #Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after #T20TriSeries final defeat See the video below & make your own judgment. #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/QgfcL8oBxk

— Rameez Merchant (@merchantgem) July 8, 2018

However, the footage had caused quite a stir on social media. It has prompted angry reactions from cricket commentators and fans on social media.

Maxwell took to social media on Monday, ahead of the Australian team’s departure from Harare, to explain what had happened. And with the matter getting out of hand, Maxwell took to Twitter to reveal his side of the story. He congratulated Pakistan on winning the game and said that he was looking for Sarfraz to shake hands.

“Congrats to Pakistan on their win yesterday, Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik were unstoppable,” the allrounder wrote.

“Sad note to end our tour of Zimbabwe, but still plenty of positives to take out of it.

“In regards to the incident shown post-match, it appears unsportsmanlike, and certainly not the way I play the game.

“It was a genuine oversight on my behalf, and I’m currently looking for Sarfraz in the hotel to shake his hand and congratulate him and his team on their series win.”

pic.twitter.com/SIGOiEyOKL

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) July 9, 2018

Coming to the game, Pakistan beat Australia in a high-scoring thriller to win the triangular series. Batting first, Australia posted a challenging 183 for 8.

D’Arcy Short (76) and captain Aaron Finch shared a 95-run opening stand in just 9.5 overs. However, a middle-order collapse saw Australia set Sarfraz Ahmed’s side 184 to win.

In reply, Pakistan were off to a disastrous start. They lost debutant Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat for ducks in the first over of their innings.

However, a career-best 91 from Fakhar Zaman helped them recover and chase down the total with four balls remaining.