Glenn Maxwell has clarified his account of events after TV images appeared to show him snubbing a handshake from Pakistan captain Safraz Ahmed, sparking criticism from commentators and fans on social media.
The Australia all-rounder took to Twitter to explain the situation was a ‘genuine oversight’ and not deliberate, as he looked to have avoided Sarfraz while going on to shake hands with other Pakistan players.
Pakistan beat Australia by six wickets to clinch the Tri-series final victory. Their successful chase of 184 to win owed much to a magnificent innings by opener Fakhar Zaman, who hit 91 off 46 balls.
Maxwell commented that it was an innocent misunderstanding on his part in not shaking Safraz’s hand.
“Congrats to Pakistan on their win yesterday, Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik were unstoppable. Sad note to end our tour of Zimbabwe, but still plenty of positives to take out of it,” Maxwell opened.
“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.”
— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) July 9, 2018
Australia's Glenn Maxwell fails to shake hands with #Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after #T20TriSeries final defeat See the video below & make your own judgment. #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/QgfcL8oBxk
— Rameez Merchant (@merchantgem) July 8, 2018
