Glenn Maxwell apologises to Sarfraz Ahmed for handshake snub
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has cleared the air surrounding suggestions that he snubbed Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after Australia's defeat to Pakistan in the tri-series final on Sunday in Harare. In a post on Twitter, Maxwell explained that the incident was nothing more than a “genuine oversight” on his part.
Following Pakistan's highest successful T20I run chase, television footage showed Maxwell walking past the Pakistan skipper, who had his hand out, ready for a handshake. Instead of shaking hands with Sarfraz, Maxwell proceeded to shake hands with a teammate and the two umpires who were behind him.
Although no Pakistan players spoke about the incident, the footage sparked outrage among several fans on social media, with some remarking that Australia's promise to play respectful cricket was nothing more than a lip-service.
Before the Australian team left Harare, the all-rounder took to Twitter to explain what had transpired.
“Congrats to Pakistan on their win yesterday, Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik were unstoppable,” the allrounder wrote.
“Sad note to end our tour of Zimbabwe, but still plenty of positives to take out of it. In regards to the incident shown post-match, it appears unsportsmanlike, and certainly not the way I play the game. It was a genuine oversight on my behalf and I’m currently looking for Sarfraz in the hotel to shake his hand and congratulate him and his team on their series win.”
Pakistan held onto top spot in the ICC T20I Team Rankings following their win over Australia. Chasing 184 for victory, Glenn Maxwell picked up two wickets in the first over to put Pakistan in early trouble but Fakhar Zaman registered his career-best T20I score and finished just 9 shy of his maiden T20I century. His 107-run fourth-wicket partnership with Shoaib Malik helped Pakistan get over the line with four balls to spare.