Women’s Asia Cup: Nigar Sultan’s Harmanpreet Kaur handshake fails as BCB dissociates, subject to captain’s review

Harmanpreet Kaur and Nigar Sultana (Image credit: ACC) Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana’s decision to skip the traditional handshake with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur at the women’s Asia Cup semi-final draw has seen her own cricket board distance herself from the gesture.The incident occurred before Bangladesh’s 40-run defeat to India when Nigar refused to shake hands with Harmanpreet during the pre-match proceedings. While the move immediately drew attention amid the recent tension surrounding handshakes in India-Pakistan cricket, the Bangladesh cricket board made it clear that the captain’s decision was not approved.Rafiqul Islam Babu, chairperson of the BCB women’s committee, said Nigar had acted on her own and insisted the board remained committed to maintaining cordial relations with all cricketing nations.“Of course it was her own decision (not to shake hands with Harmanpreet),” said Babu. “We believe that sport brings the world together. We want friendly relations with all countries, not just India, so whatever she did was purely her personal decision.”

BCB distances itself from Nigar’s decision

The clarification from Babu effectively ruled out any suggestion that Bangladesh had adopted a wider no-handshake policy similar to that seen in recent matches between India and Pakistan.Nigar’s decision came against the backdrop of heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan, which spilled over into cricket after last year’s men’s Asia Cup. Indian captains have subsequently avoided shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts, making the Bangladeshi skipper’s gesture particularly noticeable when she followed a similar path against India.However, BCB emphasized that there was no board directive behind Nigaru’s decision.The focus now appears to have shifted from the tossing incident to the captaincy’s future, with the board confirming her position will be assessed after the Asian Games.

Captain Nigaru checks himself

Babu revealed that complaints have been filed against Nigar for alleged misconduct, adding another layer of uncertainty around her leadership.“We have discussed the matter (performance and complaint) with the president of the board and since they are at the Asian Games, we will assess the situation after the games,” he said.“We will first see how the team performs in the Asian Games, then we will decide what needs to be done,” added Babu.The comments suggest that Nigar’s future will not be determined by the handshake controversy, but by Bangladesh’s performance and complaints about it.

Bangladesh fall short against India

On the field, Bangladesh could not match India in the semi-finals. Chasing 150, they were bowled out and bowled out by 40 runs, ending their campaign and sending India to the final.Babu acknowledged that Bangladesh continue to struggle against stronger sides despite showing signs of improvement.“There are many flaws in the team. We were not able to beat the bigger teams. Even in the World Cup we played well but we lost because of small mistakes,” he said.“We are working to make the team stronger and more competitive. After the Asian Games, we will decide what can be done,” he concluded.