“I give players the licence to react the way they want” - Salman Ali Agha ahead of Asia Cup 2025 Final

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has stated that he would love to give his players the license to react as they see fit on the ground ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final against India on Sunday, September 28, in Dubai.

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Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Salman also stated that as long as his players aren’t disrespecting anyone and stay within their line, he doesn’t have any issues with that. Also, he felt that preventing a pace bowler from expressing his aggression isn’t a good idea.

“If someone wants to be aggressive on the ground, then why not. If you deprive a fast bowler of their aggression, then what’s left? Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give players the licence to react the way they want on the ground. As long as they’re not disrespecting anyone and stay within the line, I have no issues with that,” Salman Ali Agha said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

Furthermore, the Pakistan skipper asserted that in his two-decade-long career, he hasn’t come across a team without shaking hands after the match. He further expressed his disappointment over the Indian team not participating in post-match customary handshakes in the group stage and Super Four clash.

“I’ve been playing professional cricket since 2007. I’ve never seen no handshakes between two teams. My dad is a huge fan of cricket and used to tell me about its history. He never told me about any game where there’s not been a handshake. I’ve heard it’s never happened before. When India-Pakistan games took place in even more tense situations, handshakes always happened. Not to have handshakes is not good for cricket. If someone wants to be aggressive, whether they’re from my team or their team, I have no issues with that, but you should shake hands at the end of it,” he added.

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