NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain Salman Agha on Saturday stated that he will allow his players to express themselves freely in the Asia Cup final against India, but warned them to avoid being "disrespectful."
Earlier in the tournament, clashes between India and Pakistan in the league and Super Four stages had been marked by excessive celebrations and heated verbal exchanges on the field.
"Every individual has the right to express emotions. If we stop fast bowlers from showing emotions what's left then? I won't stop anyone as long as it is not disrespectful," Agha said in the pre-match press conference in Dubai.
📸:💚🇵🇰
— 𝐅𝐚𝐧❥𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬🏏 (@Bobi_1A) September 27, 2025
Journalist, "Salman we have not heard you since 14 September, Indians did not make Shakehand & closed the doors"
Salman Ali Agha
"I have been playing cricket Since 2007,I have never seen such an attitude from cricketers,these acts are not good for cricket"#AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/ShaXBkov4t
However, Agha has not let go of the incident in which Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in the earlier matches.
"I started playing U16 cricket in 2007. I never saw any teams not shaking hands. Even when Indo-Pak relations were worse we still shook hands," he added.
Agha stated that Pakistan lost their previous two encounters against India in the tournament due to committing more mistakes than their opponents.
"India versus Pakistan matches come with baggage of pressure. In the last two games we lost because we made more mistakes," he said.