INDIA captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana did not shake hands during the toss for their Women’s World Cup cricket match on Sunday.
This action mirrored the behaviour of their men’s teams in recent encounters.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium.
No formal greetings were exchanged between the players from either team before the national anthems were played.
The neighbouring nations had faced each other three times during the recent men’s Asia Cup held in the United Arab Emirates.
Handshakes were also absent before and after those men’s matches.
The Asia Cup concluded last Sunday with India defeating Pakistan in the final.
That tournament was notable for the ill-feeling between the two sides and a series of on-field flashpoints.
The competition in the UAE was the first meeting between the nuclear-armed neighbours since a deadly border conflict in May.
India and Sri Lanka are jointly hosting the ongoing Women’s World Cup.
As part of a compromise arrangement, Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka.
This includes Sunday’s group match, avoiding the need for the team to travel to India.
India and Pakistan now only face each other in cricket during international tournaments and on neutral territory. – AFP
