The women's Asia Cup heats up a few hours before the high-voltage match of the men's T20 World Cup in Colombo. India 'A' team defeated Pakistan 'A' team by 8 wickets in the 'Rising Stars' tournament in Bangkok, Thailand today. However, the one-sided fight on the field has overshadowed the old culture of 'not shaking hands' in the discussion again.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, but were bundled out for just 93 runs in 18.5 overs. Except for Shawal Zulfiqar (23) and Gul Rukh (21), no one could stand. In reply, Dinesh Bhrinder scored an unbeaten 55 runs off 29 balls to take India to victory in just 10.1 overs.
At the beginning of the match, Pakistan captain Hafsa Khalid and India captain Radha Yadav did not shake hands during the toss. Even after the match, the players of the two teams were not seen shaking hands. This hostile tradition has been going on in cricket between the two countries since the last Asia Cup. Although shaking hands is not mandatory according to ICC rules, it is a symbol of courtesy.
The boys of India and Pakistan will face each other in the T20 World Cup in Colombo this evening. After the incident in Bangkok, curiosity is high as to whether there will be a breach of courtesy in Colombo as well. The captains of both the teams did not say anything clear about the matter in the press conference.
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