Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his side was prepared to take on India in the Asia Cup on Sunday, following last week’s heated group-stage encounter that ended with the Indian players refusing to shake hands.
Pakistan secured their spot in the Super Fours after defeating the United Arab Emirates by 41 runs in Sharjah on Wednesday. The team will now play two Group B opponents in the round robin stage.
Bilateral matches between India and Pakistan have been suspended since 2013, with the two teams meeting only in multi-nation events. Salman stressed that his squad would continue focusing on maintaining strong performances.
“We are ready, we are ready for any challenge,” he said after the win over UAE. “We just want to play good cricket. If we play like we have in recent months, I think we’ll do well against any team.”
Fakhar Zaman scored 50 runs but most frontline batters struggled against UAE’s bowling, with opener Saim Ayub dismissed for his third consecutive duck in the tournament. Salman admitted the batting order needed improvement.
“We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order,” he said. “That’s been a concern and something we need to work on.”
India had beaten Pakistan by seven wickets in their earlier group-stage meeting, the first game between the two since a four-day military conflict in May. The match ended without handshakes between captains and players.
Following the controversy, the Pakistan Cricket Board called for referee Andy Pycroft’s removal for a breach of conduct and briefly considered withdrawing from the tournament before continuing after Pycroft’s apology.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, alongside former heads Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi, told reporters that Pycroft had apologised directly to the team, captain, and coaching staff, citing miscommunication. The International Cricket Council has indicated its willingness to open a formal inquiry into the incident.
India and Pakistan could face each other again in the final scheduled for September 28 if both sides progress.
