6 months ago
35
ARTICLE AD BOX
South Africa's Simon Harmer & Kagiso Rabada shingle hands with Pakistani players (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Twice successful conscionable 2 days, Pakistani teams received handshakes and precocious fives from their opponents—something you don’t often spot with a Pakistan squad these days. First, the Indian men’s inferior hockey squad extended High Fives and handshakes to their Pakistan counterparts aft a match.
Less than 24 hours later, the Pakistan cricket team handed reigning satellite champions South Africa a 93-run decision successful the archetypal Test astatine Lahore, ending the Proteas’ 10-match winning streak—and were again greeted with handshakes. Yet, the celebrations were tinged with lingering resentment. On-air commentators Ramiz Raja and Aamer Sohail utilized the infinitesimal to resistance India backmost into the conversation, revisiting past month’s Asia Cup controversy.
During that tournament, Indian players had refused to shingle hands with Pakistani counterparts connected 3 abstracted occasions, sparking tensions that carried connected adjacent aft India secured a five-wicket triumph successful Dubai to assertion their ninth Asia Cup title. Aamer Sohail remarked, “Good to spot some teams shaking hands. It’s getting retired of manner these days.” Ramiz Raja added, “It’s getting retired of hand,” earlier emphasising the contented of sportsmanship successful cricket and the value of being “gentlemanly and fair,” adjacent taking a jab astatine South Africa successful the process.
On the field, Pakistan’s triumph was emphatic. Shaheen Afridi led the bowling effort with 4/33, portion left-arm spinner Noman Ali finished with 4/79 to vessel South Africa retired for 183. Earlier, Tony de Zorzi’s maiden Test period and a 50 from Ryan Rickleton had propelled the Proteas to 269, inactive trailing Pakistan’s first-innings full of 378. Salman Agha and Imam Ul Haq some scored 93, narrowly missing retired connected hundreds, portion Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan added important half-centuries.
Pakistan’s 2nd innings faltered with conscionable 167, but Noman Ali ripped done South Africa’s mediate bid again, taking 6/112 and matching Senuran Muthuswamy’s earlier haul of 6/117. While Pakistan celebrates a important triumph and climbs to 2nd successful the World Test Championship points table, conscionable down Australia, the handshakes item a recurring narrative: India’s refusal to prosecute successful elemental sportsmanship remains a talking point, adjacent weeks aft the Asia Cup final.
