Toss confusion, handshake snub mark India-Pakistan Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo
A toss mix-up by referee Shandre Fritz mistakenly declared Pakistan the winner, sparking brief confusion on field
Image from Women’s World Cup India vs Pak match in Colombo (Photo: @GloballyPop/x)
Colombo, Oct 5: In a continuation of the growing frost between the cricketing sides of India and Pakistan, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur refrained from shaking hands with her Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana during the toss for the Women's World Cup clash in Colombo, on Sunday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had reportedly instructed the players to avoid customary handshakes with members of the Pakistan team in line with the precedent set by the men's team during the recent Asia Cup.
The toss, conducted by former Australian cricketer, Mel Jones, however, turned controversial when match referee Shandre Fritz mistakenly declared Pakistan as the toss winner.
Harmanpreet had flipped the coin, and Sana called "tails", but Fritz misheard it as "heads", a cue that presenter Mel Jones also followed. The coin landed heads up, promoting both Jones and Fritz to initially award the toss to Pakistan.
The mix-up created a brief moment of confusion on the field, allowing Pakistan Women to opt for bowling first under overcast conditions.
Harmanpreet, who moments earlier refused the hand shake with Sana, maintained composure and later spoke quietly with Jones after the Pakistan skipper moved away.
India, who holds an unbeaten 11-0 record against Pakistan in the ODI format, made a change in their playing XI with Renuka Singh replacing an injured Amanjot Kaur. Pakistan meanwhile replaced Omaima Sohali with Sadaf Shamas.
The incident follows a string of symbolic snubs in Indo-Pak cricketing ties. During the recently concluded men's Asia Cup, Indian players avoided pre and post match handshakes with Pakistan players and even declined to accept the trophy directly from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who also served as the Pakistan Cricket Board chief and an interior minister in Islamabad's government.
The hostilities between the two neighbours are at an all-time high and peaked after the India launched a military action under "Operation Sindoor" to dismantle terror infrastructure as a retaliatory response against Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 Indian tourists were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
PTI