Pakistan registered a comfortable victory by 93 runs in the first Test against South Africa in Lahore as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. After the game, the players of both teams shook hands and the commentators were quick to relate it to the Asia Cup controversy.
It seems like the Asia Cup handshake row is not going to get forgotten anytime soon. While the famous Australian podcasters took a hilarious dig at the whole episode featuring the men’s and women’s players giving various other alternatives of greeting with the Indian players, who have embarked on the white-ball tour Down Under, while former Pakistan cricketers Ramiz Raja and Aamer Sohail too jumped on the bandwagon as soon as the opening Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in Lahore came to an end on Wednesday, October 15.
After Pakistan achieved a 93-run victory against South Africa, the players and members of the support staff from both sides shook hands with each other. After summarising the game, Sohail and Ramizย took a veiled dig at India, who refused to shake hands with Pakistani players in each of the three games during the Asia Cup, in the aftermath of the cross-border conflict between the two neighbouring countries.ย
โIt’s good to see both teams shaking hands,” Sohail quipped seeing the Proteas support staff greeting their Pakistan counterpartsย at the end of the game. “Itโs getting out of fashion these days,” he added before Ramiz Raja chipped in with a sly remark aimed at India.
โItโs getting out of hands,” Ramiz said while reiterating the customary and gentlemanly value attached to shaking hands in cricket.ย “It’s a great tradition. Cricket is about tradition, about being gentlemanly, about being fair.”
The handshake snub was taken to another level by India in the final when the Men in Blue refused to take the trophy from ACC President and PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi. India are yet to get the trophy and Naqvi has been adamant on his stand of handing it himself from the ACC headquarters in Dubai.
As for the match, it was the start of the new cycle in the World Test Championship (WTC) for both teams and Pakistan started on a good note, winning the first one, against the reigning champions and that will do a world of good to their confidence going into the second game in Rawalpindi next week.
ย