The Pakistan cricket team had preached the values of sportsmanship spirit post the no-handshake controversy with India during the Asia Cup last year. Several voices, not just in Pakistan but also in India, had slammed the Men in Blue for shunning the practice after their win.
It seems Pakistan don’t want to practice what they preach, as Litton Das revealed recently that Mohammad Rizwan had refused to shake hands with the entire Bangladeshi side. Shan Masood’s side had toured Bangladesh for a two-match Test series in April, with the hosts winning both the matches.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, the 31-year-old wicketkeeper revealed, “If there is one thing I didn’t like, it was after the first Test when Rizwan didn’t shake the hands of the Bangladeshi players. What happens on the field should stay on the field, no matter how big a player is; such things shouldn’t happen, whether a team wins or loses.”
It is to be noted that there was a massive war of words between Litton and the visiting keeper batter. The issues stemmed when there was a brief stoppage in play, and the home team’s wicketkeeper asked the batter to get on with his job. Umpires had to step in with the former KKR star finding support from his other teammates, who went after the opposition verbally.
Litton Das accuses Mohammad Rizwan of disrespect
Not too long ago, Pakistan cricket was willing to boycott the T20 World Cup after the ICC replaced the Bangla side with Scotland for the event. But the latest incidents show that there is a thaw in the relationship between the two countries.
In his chat with Prothom Ali, the attacking batter also added, “Rizwan did the same during the second Test also. He can have his issues with me, but the other players didn’t do anything wrong to him. He didn’t show respect to our team, while the rest of the Pakistani players shook our hands, only he refused to do so, and it was totally unprofessional from him.”
When asked why he went after the 33-year-old former skipper, the Tigers star said, “There were two batters in their team who could trouble us, one was Babar Azam, and the other is him (Rizwan). I wanted to make sure our team wins. Secondly, there was an incident that took place before the opening Test, and I didn’t like what happened. He is also known to waste time, and the weather was so hot, so he decided to do something about it.”
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