Key Takeaways
- 1📊 Bangladesh captain Md Azizul Hakim Tamim missed toss due to illness
- 2🏆 Vice-captain Zawad Abrar stood in for toss against India's Ayush Mhatre
- 3💡 BCB emphasized no-handshake was unintentional, resulted from momentary lapse
- 4🔮 Incident highlights sensitivities in India-Bangladesh relations amid political tensions
"Zawad Abrar stood in as captain after regular Bangladesh U19 skipper Azizul Hakim Tamim was sidelined with illness"
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has clarified that the absence of a handshake between captains at the toss during India's U19 World Cup clash was completely unintentional, resulting from a momentary lapse in concentration rather than any deliberate gesture.
Illness Forces Bangladesh Captain Change
Bangladesh's regular captain Md Azizul Hakim Tamim was sidelined due to illness, forcing vice-captain Zawad Abrar to represent the team at the toss against India's Ayush Mhatre. The absence of the customary handshake was noticeable and drew immediate attention given the currently strained diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The BCB moved quickly to address the incident, emphasizing that the situation arose purely from the unexpected captaincy change and had no political undertones. The board's swift clarification reflects awareness of how such moments can be misinterpreted, particularly in the context of heightened India-Bangladesh tensions.
This incident echoes a similar situation at senior level last year when India and Pakistan captains did not shake hands at the toss during the Asia Cup, which generated considerable diplomatic discourse. Although relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated significantly following recent political developments in Dhaka, the BCB insisted that Saturday's incident was purely circumstantial and carried no intentional message.
Related Stories


