Asia Cup Row Deepens: Mohsin Naqvi Refuses To Hand Over Trophy, Tells India Captain To Collect It In Person
The controversy surrounding the Asia Cup trophy has escalated dramatically, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi reportedly refusing to hand over the silverware to India. In a new twist to the bizarre standoff, Naqvi, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has directed Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to collect the trophy in person from the ACC office, according to a report from Pakistani media channel Geo Super.
This development follows the chaotic scenes at the final, where the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, leading to ACC officials whisking it away from the presentation stage.The unprecedented situation began on Sunday after India defeated Pakistan in the final. Citing the troubled geopolitical relationship between the two nations, the Indian team stated they would not receive the trophy from Naqvi and requested that the vice-chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board present it instead.
Naqvi denied this request, and as the Indian team waited for over an hour, officials were seen removing the trophy from the ground, leaving the champions empty-handed on their night of victory. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia later slammed the act as “extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike.”The issue came to a head again during a tense ACC meeting on Tuesday. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla repeatedly pressed Naqvi to hand over the trophy, but the ACC chief dismissed the matter, claiming it was not on the meeting’s agenda.
After further insistence, Naqvi provocatively remarked that if the Indian team wanted the trophy, their captain should visit the ACC office personally to receive it. In response, BCCI officials, who attended virtually, sharply demanded the trophy be transferred to the ICC headquarters instead.Given that the Indian team already refused to engage with Naqvi at the presentation ceremony, it is highly unlikely that any representative will go to the ACC office to collect the trophy. The BCCI is now expected to lodge a formal complaint with the ICC, escalating the dispute from a regional council matter to the global governing body.
