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COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to bowl in the women’s cricket World Cup match against archrival India at R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

The captains did not shake hands during the toss amid political tensions between the two South Asian neighbors, a trend carried over from the recently concluded men’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

India has accused Pakistan of being involved in attacks on tourists that killed dozens. Islamabad denies it.

India men’s team captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart in the first preliminary-round match between the two sides, prompting Pakistan to threaten to boycott the game. Commentators and fans blamed both sides for behaving against the spirit of the game during the tournament.

India and Pakistan ended up progressing to the tournament final, which ended in acrimonious fashion after India captain Yadav refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.

In Sunday’s game, India’s Amanjot Kaur, who made a half-century in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka, has been ruled out due to illness. Pakistan made one change from the side that lost to Bangladesh, bringing in Sadaf Shamas in place of Omaima Sohail.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Arab and Muslim nations on Sunday welcomed Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza, calling it a “real opportunity” to achieve a lasting ceasefire and address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Trump unveiled his 20-point Gaza peace plan on Sept. 29, proposing an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, a phased Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament and a reconstruction plan for Gaza under international supervision. The proposal has since drawn cautious support from several Arab and Islamic nations as a possible framework to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 2023.

In a joint statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, ����ֱ��, Qatar and Egypt said they welcomed “the steps taken by Hamas regarding US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza, release all hostages, alive or deceased, and the immediate launch of negotiations on implementation mechanisms.”

“The Foreign Ministers reiterated their joint commitment to support efforts toward the implementation of the proposal,” the statement said, pledging to work for “the immediate end of the war on Gaza” and to ensure “unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid.”

The ministers praised Hamas’s announcement of its readiness to hand over Gaza’s administration to a transitional Palestinian technocratic committee, and welcomed Trump’s call on Israel “to immediately stop the bombing and to begin implementation of the exchange agreement.” 

They also expressed appreciation for what they described as his “commitment to establishing peace in the region.”

The statement emphasized that the ministers viewed these developments as “a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, and to address the critical humanitarian conditions facing people in Gaza.” 

It added that any agreement must prevent the displacement of Palestinians, guarantee civilian protection, ensure the release of hostages and allow the Palestinian Authority’s return to Gaza under a unified administration of Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas, in its written response released Friday, said it accepted the release of “all occupation war prisoners, both living and dead,” under Trump’s proposed exchange formula, provided field conditions for implementation are secured. 

The group also reaffirmed its approval to “entrust the administration of the Gaza Strip to an independent Palestinian administration (a technocratic authority) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”