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There was no formal handshake between the Indian women’s cricket team and the Pakistan women’s cricket team when they faced each other in a 2026 T20 World Cup group stage match at Edgbaston on Sunday.
India got a comprehensive victory over its arch rival. Along with the outcome of the match, cricket fans were eager to see if there would be any handshake between the two rival countries.
Wahab Riaz spoke openly on the debate of not shaking hands
After Asia Cup 2025, the Indian cricket team has stopped shaking hands with the players of Pakistan cricket team in all tournaments. Before the match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was asked about her stand in this regard. However, Kaur avoided giving a direct answer to this.
After the match, the former Pakistan fast bowler, who is now the head coach of the country’s women’s cricket team, was asked on the same topic.
“I’m sorry to ask, but we saw that there was no handshake again today. What’s the relationship like between players and staff from two different teams? Are you friendly behind the scenes, or is it just indifferent?” A reporter asked Riyaz this.
It won’t make a big difference: Pakistan women’s team head coach
The head coach of Pakistan cricket team did not seem too worried about the no-handshake series. He believes that refusing to shake hands will not make a big difference.
Wahab Riaz said, “Look, I don’t know. I have left cricket long ago, so I don’t know the reason for not shaking hands. But I think if things want to move forward like this, then let’s go like this. It won’t make any big difference.”
Batting first, India scored 170 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs, while Pakistan got only 106 runs for all ten wickets in the second innings. Deepti Sharma’s 5 wicket haul was one of the turning points of the match. Pakistan’s batsmen were no match for India’s quality bowling.
Riaz shows some glimpses of hope after defeat against India
Riaz said that he gave away 15 to 20 extra runs, which probably put extra pressure on him, due to which the batting collapsed.
He said, “I think we have given away 15-20 runs in the last 2 overs by having an extra fielder in the circle. I think it also gave them the momentum that only three fielders are inside the boundary, but I believe there are still 15 to 20 runs, I think we have given away.”
Despite the crushing defeat, he highlighted some positive signs in the performance against India. “Look, there are some positives. I think the way they fight is the fight in bowling and then the fight in batting.”
“There are some glimpses of positivity, and we’ll accept that. We know it’s always going to be a game of nerves, and I think we’re working hard on that. And they’re trying their level best, and you win one, lose one. Unfortunately, we were on the losing side today”, he added.
