Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both the Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and President of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has formally proposed a dedicated event in Dubai for the Indian men’s cricket team to receive their hard-earned Asia Cup trophy.
This planned ceremony, set for November 10, follows a series of communications between the ACC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Addressing the media in Karachi, Naqvi stated, “Following an exchange of letters with the BCCI, the ACC has informed them that we are prepared to host Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, his players, and BCCI official Rajiv Shukla to collect the trophy at a ceremony on November 10 in Dubai.”
The move comes after the Indian team opted not to accept the trophy from Naqvi immediately after securing their victory against Pakistan in the final on September 28. After a brief period of uncertainty, Naqvi reportedly instructed that the trophy be removed from the stadium.
Subsequently, Indian captain Suryakumar was seen playfully mimicking a trophy presentation with his teammates, and the squad left the venue without the physical trophy.
Reports in the Indian media suggested that the team’s reluctance to accept the trophy from Naqvi stemmed from his dual role as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, with implications linked to allegations of terrorism in India.
It is anticipated that the BCCI may raise this matter during upcoming meetings of both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the ACC. The ICC Board meeting is already scheduled to take place in Dubai from November 4-7.
Naqvi reiterated his stance, saying, “The ACC has formally written to the BCCI proposing a ceremony in Dubai on November 10. Bring your captain and players and receive the trophy from me.”
Throughout the Asia Cup, India maintained an unblemished record against Pakistan, winning all three of their encounters. Notably, Indian players chose not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during these matches.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was previously fined 30 percent of his match fee by the ICC for dedicating India’s first match victory to the victims of a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Similarly, Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf also incurred a 30 percent match fee penalty for displaying political slogans during the second match on September 21. However, opener Sahibzada Farhan faced no penalty for his bat-wielding celebration after scoring a half-century in the same game.