New Delhi. After several days of political drama, back channel talks and overt pressure, Pakistan has agreed to play against India in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but there is one thing which is not going to change. When the teams of India and Pakistan face each other in Colombo on February 15, there will be no ceremony of shaking hands on the field. Barring any unexpected last-minute twist, it is certain that the players will not be shaking hands with each other.
The handshake issue was just one of the demands that Pakistan put forward when it threatened to boycott the match against India. In the Lahore meeting, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and Associate Members representative Mubashir Usmani were told that Pakistan wants three things in exchange for playing the match on February 15 and ICC will not be able to interfere in any of them.
There will be no handshake in India-Pakistan match
This streak of “no-handshake” between India and Pakistan has not started from this World Cup. It started with the Asia Cup last year, when after defeating Pakistan, India left the field without shaking hands as soon as the match was over. This decision seemed shocking at that time, but it was not a one-time incident. There were three matches between India and Pakistan in that tournament and the players did not shake hands in any of them. Not only this, the Indian team had also refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. Even after this the same stance was maintained.
There was no physical contact between the two teams in the Women’s World Cup, ACC Rising Stars Tournament and the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup. The attitude of the Indian Cricket Board has remained the same throughout this period. The board says that shaking hands is a tradition, not a requirement. Players cannot be forced to do this under any rules. The same policy has been implemented in every India-Pakistan match since then and there is every possibility that it will continue in the upcoming T20 World Cup match as well.
ICC rejected Pakistan’s wish
The issue of joining hands with India was raised by the Pakistan Cricket Board in a meeting with ICC officials held in Lahore on Sunday. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly demanded the return of handshakes between players and support staff, calling it a “symbol of the spirit of the game”. However, according to sources, ICC is in no mood to interfere in this matter. MCC’s ‘Spirit of Cricket’ talks about respect, not rituals. Shaking hands is a tradition, not a rule. In such a situation, India is completely free to continue its no-contact stance, a decision it had taken after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan’s demands from ICC during boycott threat
The first demand was to increase the funding received from the ICC. Currently, Pakistan gets about 5.75 percent of the ICC revenue, which it considers less than its contribution, especially when India gets about 39 percent. The second demand was the resumption of bilateral cricket with India, whereas due to political and security reasons there has been no bilateral series between the two countries since 2012–13. Bangladesh is also making the same demand from the ICC. The third demand was the return of handshake between the players. ICC heard everything, but did not agree to any demand. The officials made it clear that fines and sanctions could be imposed under the Members’ Participation Agreement for not following the schedule, and also assured that all Pakistan’s demands would be put before the ICC Board, although no favorable outcome was promised.
After several days of uncertainty, now Pakistan is ready to face India as per the schedule. The impasse was resolved when the ICC held talks with the full member countries, which included the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The fear of Bangladesh being removed from the tournament was the main reason for Pakistan’s threat of boycott. Ultimately, no ban will be imposed on Bangladesh for withdrawing from the T20 World Cup. In return, it will be given the opportunity to host one ICC tournament before the 2023 ODI World Cup.