'Spirit of cricket,' says Pakistan captain ahead of India clash
What's the story
Pakistan's T20 World Cup captain, Salman Agha, has expressed his desire for the upcoming match against India to be played in the "spirit of cricket." The statement comes after the no-handshakes controversy that marred the Asia Cup. The highly-anticipated clash will take place at R Premadasa Stadium under lights and marks their first meeting since India's Asia Cup final victory over Pakistan in Dubai last September.
Sportsmanship focus
'Game should be played in that spirit'
At a press conference, Agha stressed on the importance of sportsmanship in cricket, saying, "The game should be played in that spirit of cricket." He added that he doesn't care about expectations but believes the game should be played as it always has been. This comes after a controversy during the Asia Cup where India won all three matches against Pakistan but refused to shake hands with their players on BCCI's orders.
Handshake uncertainty
Will Pakistan shake hands if India do?
When asked if Pakistan would shake hands with India if they were willing, Agha remained non-committal. He said, "We will find out tomorrow," leaving the decision open-ended. This comes after a political row over the match, with the Pakistan government initially announcing a boycott of the clash against India but later reversing its decision after negotiations between ICC and PCB.
Match significance
Agha acknowledges importance of India-Pakistan clash
Agha acknowledged the importance of an India-Pakistan clash and said Sunday would be no different. He said thousands of fans from both countries are expected to fill the stadium despite uncertain weather conditions. "_Bilkul_ [definitely], this game, its magnitude has always been bigger and will continue to be bigger. Tomorrow, too, the magnitude of the game will be bigger," he said.
Historical context
Agha focuses on learning from past defeats
Pakistan have only beaten India once in the ICC T20 World Cup, which was during the 2021 edition. Agha, who has lost all three matches he has captained against India, said his team would focus on learning from past defeats. "We don't have a good record against them in World Cups. But each time you play a new match, it is a new day and you have to play good cricket to win," he said.
H2H
Decoding the H2H record
As per ESPNcricinfo, India have seven wins and just a solitary defeat against the Men in Green at the T20 World Cup level. This includes results of tied games as well. Notably, the 2021 T20 WC marked Pakistan's only World Cup win over India across 16 matches in international cricket. Overall, the two teams have faced each other in 16 T20Is. India have claimed 13 wins as only three games have gone in Pakistan's favor.