Asian Cricket Council (ACC) boss Mohsin Naqvi shocked the cricket world when he was seen taking the Asia Cup 2025 trophy to his hotel room after Team India declined it from him on Sunday.
Naqvi was attending the India vs Pakistan final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He took to the presentation podium after India's five-wicket win against Pakistan but departed from the ceremony and left the ground after India continued to hold their place of receiving the trophy from a 'neutral' official.
Two days have passed since the last match ended, yet no definitive news has been announced about when and how the trophy and winners' medals will be presented to the Indian team that has already reached back home. Yet, a news story from Cricbuzz asserted that Naqvi, a political representative of Pakistan too, has placed a condition for the return of the trophy and medals.
The report further said that Naqvi informed the organisers that Suryakumar Yadav and his players would be awarded their medals only if there was a formal function where he would be able to present the trophy and the medals himself. With India-Pakistan political relations being strained, such an arrangement does not seem probable.
Previous, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia rebuked Naqvi for carrying the trophy and medals to the hotel room.
"We have resolved that we will not accept the trophy from the ACC chairman, one of the key leaders of Pakistan. So we will not take it from him," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in an interview with ANI. He also confirmed that the BCCI will file a complaint with the ICC. "That does not mean that the gentleman will make off with the trophy and the medals along with him. It is very unfortunate, very unsporting."
"We hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible. This is definitely what we are going to do (protest). There is an ICC conference in the month of November or in the first week of November in Dubai. We are going to launch a very serious and very strong protest against the act of the ACC chairperson," the BCCI official asserted.
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