Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has agreed to give India the Asia Cup trophy. However, there is one condition: he wants both the trophy and the medals to be handed over directly by him. According to Cricbuzz, Naqvi has requested that a formal event be organised for the presentation.
India had defeated their arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in Dubai to claim the Asia Cup title, but the victory ceremony turned controversial as the team was not immediately presented with the trophy. After the final on Sunday, 28 September, Naqvi left the field with the trophy, accompanied by several ACC officials, sparking widespread debate and confusion.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated after the final that India would not accept the trophy from the ACC chairman, who is also a leading figure in Pakistan cricket. “We have decided not to take the trophy from him under any circumstances. We hope the trophy and medals will be returned to India as soon as possible,” Saikia said, adding that the BCCI plans to raise a formal protest at the ICC conference in Dubai in November.
The situation escalated further when Naqvi responded publicly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to the Indian team, posting a remark that mixed war and sport. The post was geoblocked in India.
Reports suggest that before the match, Pakistan insisted on a representative being present at the toss. To meet this demand, Waqar Younis was included in the pre-match ritual. During the trophy presentation, proposals were made for the Emirates Cricket Board chairman Khalid Al Zarooni or Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam to hand over the trophy to India while Naqvi honoured Pakistan, but he insisted on presenting it himself.
The Indian team management, in consultation with the BCCI in Mumbai, reiterated that they would not accept the trophy from Naqvi, and suggestions for a foreign support staff member, such as bowling coach Morne Morkel, to collect the prize were not acted upon. After more than 45 minutes, only the individual awards from the sponsors were distributed, and the ceremony was concluded by host Simon Doull.
Currently, the formal handover event requested by Naqvi remains unscheduled, leaving the Asia Cup trophy in ACC custody in Dubai, near their headquarters and the ICC offices. The matter continues to dominate discussions in cricket boardrooms, with no immediate resolution in sight.
