On October 15th, Pakistan triumphed over South Africa by 93 runs in the Lahore Test. Despite this victory, the specter of the handshake controversy seemed to loom large over the Pakistanis. Former Pakistani captains Rameez Raja and Aamir Sohail, while commentating, reignited discussions about the matter.
In recent days, Pakistani teams were presented with chances to shake hands and exchange high-fives with their opponents. First, the Indian men's junior hockey team exchanged congratulations with high-fives and handshakes. Within 24 hours, the Pakistani cricket team defeated South Africa by 93 runs in the first Test, leading to a post-match handshake with the African team.
It's noteworthy that during the Asia Cup, Indian players did not shake hands with Pakistani counterparts across three encounters (league, Super Four, final match). Likewise, during the Women's World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur did not shake hands with the Pakistani captain.
Keeping these instances in mind, Aamir Sohail remarked on the mutual handshakes following Pakistan's triumph over Africa as refreshing, noting that this practice seems to have fallen out of vogue. Rameez Raja added that such gestures are becoming rare, while advocating for sportsmanship in games.
What Happened in the PAK vs SA Lahore Test?
In Lahore's first match of a two-test series, Pakistan tallied 378 in their first innings. Contributions came from Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, each scoring 93. For the African side, Tony de Zorzi played a resilient innings, scoring 104 off 171 balls. Opener Ryan Rickelton added 71 runs to the board, but Nauman Ali's six wickets gave Pakistan a critical 109-run lead.
In the second innings, Africa's bowling attack fought back, with Senuran Muthusamy (5/57) and Simon Harmer (4/51) delivering excellent performances, resulting in Pakistan's collapse at 167. With a 277-run target set, South Africa faltered as Nauman Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi took four wickets each, bundling them out for 167. The teams will clash again in Rawalpindi starting October 20th.
