3 min readJan 22, 2026 11:56 AM IST
First published on: Jan 22, 2026 at 10:59 AM IST
Pakistan Cricket Board has taken a sneaky dig at India by reigniting the Asia Cup handshake controversy while promoting their upcoming T20I series against Australia. In a week’s time, Pakistan will host Australia in a three-match series which will be the final tune-up event for both teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. But the promo for the Australian team’s tour, which was shared on X by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), could not resist a dig at the neighbours while promoting the tour.
The clip shows an Australian tourist travelling around Pakistan enjoying the hospitality with Pakistan cricket captain Salman Agha even paying the tourist’s dinner bill after delivering a line, “Mehman ho ji aap hamaare (you are our guest).”
The tourist responds with a “shukriya” before telling his local friend that he “loves the hospitality in Pakistan”.
The next scene shows the tourist being told by the local taxi driver that he would not take money from a guest in the country. When the tourist exits the taxi and walks away, the driver stops him to remind him: “Mate, handshake bhool gaye aap! Lagta hai padosiyon ke paas bhi ruke the (You forgot to shake hands, looks like you stayed in the neighbouring country as well).”
WATCH: PCB’s new ‘handskahe’ dig at India in tour promo
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The line was an obvious dig at the Indian team’s refusal to shake hands with the Pakistan team during last year’s Asia Cup. The Indian team has also refused to shake hands with their counterparts from across the border in other cricketing events since. The refusal was the Indian team’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack and the conflict between two nations during Operation Sindoor.
The promo can also be considered Pakistan’s response to the umpteen Mauka Mauka ads that Indian broadcasters have run, where they take digs at Pakistan’s abysmal record against India in ICC tournaments.
The Pakistani promo ends when the tourist tells Salman Agha that he’s having a lot of fun in Pakistan but it will be even better when the Australians defeat Pakistan in the T20 series.
At this Salman Agha responds: “We’re generally very gracious hosts. But when it comes to cricket, we’re ready, mate!”
All matches will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the games are on January 29, January 31 and February 1.
Mitchell Marsh will captain the Australian team, while Travis Head, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis are part of the side. However, players like Nathan Ellis, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins, who are all part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, will not travel to the country because they are either returning from injury or having their loads managed.
Pakistan cricketer Salman Ali Agha in the promo for the Pakistan vs Australia T20 series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. (Screengrab via PCB/X) 
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