Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 10: In a new dramatic move, the Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has locked up the Asia Cup trophy, which was not presented to the victorious Indian team after the winner’s refusal to accept it from Mr Naqvi’s hands, in the cupboard at the ACC headquarter in Dubai with strict instructions not to move it without his expressed permission.
The trophy has been at the ACC office after Mr Naqvi, also the interior minister in the Shehbaz Sharif cabinet in Pakistan, walked away with it from the presentation ceremony following the Indian team’s refusal to accept it from him.
As per the latest reports, the Asia Cup trophy, which should have been handed to the victorious Indian team following their win over Pakistan in the final, remains locked inside the headquarters in Dubai with PCB chief Naqvi making it clear that it cannot be moved without his approval and in-person presence. Mr Naqvi has refused to budge from his original stance – in which he insists only he is authorised to hand the trophy over to the Indian team or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“As of today, the trophy is still in ACC offices in Dubai with clear instructions from Naqvi that it should not be moved or handed over to anyone without his approval and in-person presence,” a source close to Naqvi said. “Naqvi has given clear instructions that only he will hand over the trophy in person (whenever that happens) to the Indian team or BCCI,” the source further added.
India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on September 28 amidst a tense situation between the two countries after the Pahalgam terror attacks and subsequent India army’s attack on the terror hideouts in Pakistan. The BCCI is learnt to be planning to raise the issue at the International Cricket Council (ICC) ICC meeting next month and may seek Naqvi’s removal as director.
The entire Asia Cup was overshadowed by Indo-Pak hostilities. The Indians refused to shake hands with the arch foes throughout the tournament and players from both sides mocked each other with politically charged gestures. Naqvi too made political statements on his social media pages.
The BCCI took strong exception to his act of walking away with the trophy and vowed to raise the matter in an ICC meeting next month. It is being widely speculated that a strong move to get Naqvi censured and even removed as Director in the ICC could be made. “It remains to be seen what will be the long term ramifications for the PCB or Naqvi because the BCCI is clear he (Naqvi) didn’t have any right to insist on handing the trophy himself to the Indian team and refusing to send it to the BCCI who were official hosts of the event,” the source said.
Naqvi reportedly carried the trophy off the presentation stage after the Indian team refused to accept it from him during the post-match ceremony. The episode has further deepened the already fraught atmosphere surrounding the tournament, which was marred throughout by Indo-Pak hostilities. Naqvi himself stirred further controversy by making politically charged remarks on social media during the tournament, something the BCCI has reportedly taken strong exception to. His decision to physically take the trophy off-stage without allowing any BCCI or Indian representative to formally receive it has sparked a diplomatic and cricketing standoff.