Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das has publicly criticised Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan for allegedly refusing to shake hands after both Tests in their recently concluded series, calling the behaviour unprofessional and disrespectful.
“I didn’t like one thing. Whatever happens on the field, once the game is over, you shake hands with everyone. After we won the first Test, Rizwan didn’t come to shake our hands. That’s just bad, no matter who you are or how big a player you are. Win or lose, it’s about respect,” Das said at an event organised by a Bangladeshi media outlet.
He stressed that even if Rizwan had a personal issue with him, snubbing the post-match handshake showed a lack of respect toward the entire Bangladesh side.
“He might have an issue with me, but the whole Bangladesh team didn’t do anything to him. What should we expect from him next time? He didn’t show respect to our team,” he added.
The tension between the two players surfaced during the second Test in Sylhet. In the 72nd over of Pakistan’s innings, Rizwan raised concerns about movement near the sightscreen.
Das questioned the delay, leading to a brief argument before umpire Richard Kettleborough intervened to calm things down.
Despite his criticism, Das acknowledged Rizwan’s quality as a batter and admitted Bangladesh had specifically targeted him during the series.
“I knew only Babar and Rizwan could really trouble us. Rizwan’s record against Bangladesh is very strong, and that stayed in my mind,” he said.
“He’s a big deal in Pakistan, but something happened that I didn’t like. Ever since, I had a question mark about him. Plus, everyone knows Rizwan takes his time between balls. I was keeping wickets in that heat, and it was tough. So I decided to do something about it,” he concluded.
Bangladesh whitewashed Pakistan 2-0 in the two-match Test series.
