A promotional video for the upcoming Pakistan-Australia Series has been released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the promotional video appears to take a subtle dig at India over the no-handshake controversy.
The focus of the promo is Pakistan’s deep connection with cricket and the nation’s hospitality. In one scene of the promo, an Australian tourist rides in a taxi where driver refuses to accept the payment and instead thanks the guest for being in the country.
When the Australian tourist steps out of the car without shaking the hand of the driver the driver humorously remarks, “Handshake bhool gaye aap, lagta hai padosiyo ke paas bhi ruke the” (“You forgot the handshake, feels like you also visited our neighbours”).
This scene is a reference to the refusal of India to shake hands with Pakistan’s players during the ACC Asia Cup 2025.
This unprofessional move against the sportsman spirit was then again repeated by Indian junior teams and India’s International women’s team in their respective matches against Pakistan
India’s decision to not shake hands with Pakistani players was controversial, garnered significant attention and caused long debates on the internet.
It looks like from PCB’s latest promo that the incident has not been forgotten yet.
Agha Ji, another character in the video reinforced this message. He said that Pakistanis are generally very hospitable people, but they have the potential to become competitive when it comes to cricket.
The promo is setting the stage for the upcoming three-match T20 series between Australia and Pakistan, which will begin on January 19. The dates for second and third matches will be January 31 and February 1. The location for all three games will be Lahore.
Pakistani fans are excited to see Australian players in Pakistan. This will not be the first time that Australian team is coming to Pakistan. Recently they have played Champions Trophy in Pakistan hence familiar with the pitch conditions.
Also read: Women’s World Cup: Indian captain skips handshake
