Sahibzada Farhan smashes his first T20 century and Usman Tariq confuses Namibia with his mystery spin as Pakistan secures its Super 8 spot at cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup with a 102-run win

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — India and Pakistan players declined to shake hands before and after the highly-charged group game between the archrivals at cricket's Twenty20 World Cup. India won it by 61 runs on Sunday to secure its place in the next stage.

The match between the bitter rivals went ahead after Pakistan earlier reversed their decision to boycott the game in solidarity with Bangladesh, who refused to tour India over safety concerns and were replaced by Scotland.

Sunday's game will be the first time they have met since India won last year’s Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates, where players refused to shake hands.

The neighbors have been in conflict over the disputed border region since their independence and partition in 1947.

Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, was present in Colombo during the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match

India vs Pakistan prediction: T20 World Cup betting tips & odds - Follow our predictions for India vs Pakistan at the T20 World Cup

The cricket-mad South Asian neighbors have a bitter history, punctuated by violence and wars. It makes this one of the fiercest, and most financially lucrative, rivalries in sports.

While Agha claims Pakistan has been "playing good cricket," the statement appears to overlook the team’s performance against India.

Former US diplomat Lindsey Ford warned that pressuring India to cut defence ties with Russia could weaken the India-US partnership, even as recent tariff relief has helped revive bilateral ties.