Pakistan’s T20 captain Salman Ali Agha has broken his silence on the handshake controversy that overshadowed the Asia Cup 2025 clash between Pakistan and India in Dubai, revealing that match referee Andy Pycroft informed him before the toss that there would be no handshake.

Appearing on a YouTube podcast, Agha said that he was pulled aside by the match referee just before the toss.

“The match referee called me aside and told me that there would be no handshake, so I should keep that in mind. I said, ‘Alright, if there’s no handshake, then that’s fine. It’s not like I’m desperate to shake hands anyway,'” he said.

He added that handshakes had already taken place at a pre-match press conference and a trophy shoot, so he went out for the toss relatively composed.

He said, “I had an idea that things might not be completely normal, but I never expected it would go to the extent of not shaking hands.”

Pycroft, according to reports, was himself told only four minutes before the toss that the two captains were not to shake hands, and believed he was conveying India’s decision rather than issuing instructions of his own.

Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian captain, confirmed after the match that India had decided before the game, in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government, that they would not shake hands with Pakistan.

Agha revealed that even after the match, which Pakistan lost by seven wickets, his side followed the usual protocol and walked forward to shake hands. It still did not happen. Pakistan coach Mike Hesson confirmed the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.

The PCB filed a formal protest against Pycroft, accusing him of breaching ICC codes and the spirit of cricket, and demanded his removal from the tournament. The ICC investigated but concluded there was no case to answer.

The PCB even raised the prospect of withdrawing from the Asia Cup if Pycroft was not removed, saying the Pakistan government had advised it to do so. A tense stalemate followed before PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi gave the team clearance to continue their campaign.

Agha, however, chose to focus on the bigger picture.

“Honestly, I don’t think this is the right thing. When you represent a nation, people watch you. I play for Pakistan, and young kids look up to us and follow what we do. If something like this happens, they might copy it in their own games in the future.”

He stressed the responsibility that comes with representing a country. “As a role model, you have a responsibility, and these are things you need to handle carefully.”