The standoff over the Asia Cup trophy shows no sign of ending, with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi refusing to alter his stance despite warnings from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Naqvi, who also serves as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, has insisted that he will personally hand the trophy to a BCCI representative, a condition the Indian board continues to reject.
According to ACC sources, the BCCI Secretary, Devajit Saikia, along with its ACC representative Rajeev Shukla and officials from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, had written to Naqvi last week requesting that the trophy be handed to India. They also cautioned that the issue would be escalated if the impasse persisted.
However, Naqvi has remained unmoved. “His response was that a BCCI official should come to Dubai and collect the trophy from him,” an ACC insider revealed. “The BCCI has made it clear it will not receive the trophy from him, so the matter is now expected to be discussed at the upcoming ICC meeting.”
The dispute stems from the aftermath of the Asia Cup final on 28 september, when India defeated Pakistan but declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi, who, apart from his ACC role, is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Naqvi subsequently took the trophy with him, sparking a controversy that has since lingered.
Reports had previously suggested that Naqvi apologised to the BCCI and agreed to return the trophy. However, sources now confirm that the trophy remains locked inside the ACC headquarters in Dubai, with Naqvi allegedly instructing staff not to release it without his direct approval.
