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Salman Agha attacks India, minces no words after Suryakumar Yadav's team stranded without trophy: 'Who started it?'
Pakistan captain Salman Agha pinned the blame on India as the Asia Cup 2025 post-match presentation controversy snowballs.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha doubled down and blamed India following the conclusion of the Asia Cup 2025 edition, saying his team was justified in its antics throughout the eight-team tournament. He also came out in support of Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC), after India refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from him. The recently concluded competition saw Pakistan skip mandatory pre-match press conferences on two occasions after being miffed with India snubbing customary post-match handshakes in the group stage encounter.
The premier Asian tournament has seen several controversies in the 2025 edition ever since the September 14 match between India and Pakistan. At first, players from the two teams did not shake hands after the conclusion of the game. India captain Suryakumar dedicated the first win over Pakistan to the Indian Armed Forces, saying his team stands in solidarity with the Pahalgam terror attack.
The PCB launched an official protest against match referee Andy Pycroft, threatening to boycott the tournament if he wasn't removed from the remainder of the tournament. The match against the UAE got off to a delayed start as PCB mulled their options upon learning ICC's refusal to remove Pycroft.
Pakistan skipped the pre-match press conference before the Super 4s match against India, and finally, the tournament came to an end on September 28, with the Indian camp refusing to receive the trophy from Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister within the Pakistan government.
Earlier, Naqvi shared an out-of-context video of Cristiano Ronaldo on X (formerly Twitter). He openly mocked Indian fans as he referenced Pakistan's claims of bringing down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. Throughout the Asia Cup, Naqvi used his social media handles as the head of Pakistan cricket, and upholding the post of ACC head took a backseat.
Following India's five-wicket win in the Asia Cup 2025 final, Pakistan captain Agha came to the post-match press conference and it was then that he took a dig at the opposition, saying how will they receive the trophy if they decide to break protocol and refuse to accept the trophy from the concerned authority (ACC chair)?
Here is the entire conversation between the reporters and Salman Agha:
Reporter: Have you ever seen a champion team not get the trophy? Your team missed the pre-match press conferences. Have you ever seen a team break so many protocols during the tournament?
Agha: Sir, our actions were just consequences of what happened earlier in the tournament. You are asking me questions, but who started it? Look at that. If the ACC President is there, he will give away the trophy. If you don't want to take the trophy from him, then how will you get the trophy? And you spoke about pre-match press conferences, it all happened after what happened on the ground. It wasn't our attitude from the beginning of the tournament. It's not about who is doing what; it's about what is wrong with the game.
Reporter: You displayed proper sportsman spirit. When it comes to handshakes, your team had a very good spirit. Today, you got your pictures clicked with the trophy alone before the start of the match. The PCB chairman waited a lot on the presentation dias. India captain Suryakumar Yadav shook his hands before the tournament started. I just want to know from you what you are taking back because players are ambassadors?
Agha: Sir, what has happened in this tournament is very disappointing. If you look at cricket, they are thinking that if they do not shake hands with us, they are disrespecting us. No, sir, they are disrespecting cricket. What they did today, a good team will never behave this way. A good team will behave just like we did. We were waiting there to receive our medals. We got our pictures taken separately with the trophy before the start of the game. Whatever they are doing with the game, I don't want to use very harsh words. This is very disrespectful; they are being disrespectful to the game.
