Ind vs Pak: Shoaib Akhtar expresses disagreement on ‘handshake row’ at Asia Cup , says, ‘don’t make things political’

With Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his ‘men in blue’ refused to shake with the Pakistani team during the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disagreement.

Speaking on a Pakistani show after the match, Akhtar advised players not to make cricket political and play it like a sport.

He said, as quoted by Hindustan Times, “I’m speechless. It is disheartening to see and I don’t know what to say. Hats off to India. Just don’t make things political. Cricket match hain isko political mat banao. Hum ne acchi statement di hai aapkee liye. Hum bohut kuchh bol sakte hai. Hoti rehte hain ladayi jhagre, ghar me bhi ho jaati hain. (Don’t make a cricket match political. We have said nice things about you. We can say a lot of things about the no handshake. Fights happen, even inside your house. Forget it, move on. It is the game of cricket, shake your hands, show your grace.)”

ACC chief expresses disapproval:

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has expressed his strong disapproval over India’s conduct against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday.

Naqvi criticised the Indian team for refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts before and after the match. He referred it as a violation of the spirit of sportsmanship.

“Utterly disappointed by the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace,” Naqvi wrote.

This is a developing story, it will be updated shortly.