Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi arrived at the International Cricket Council (ICC) headquarters in Dubai on Friday to attend a crucial meeting where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to raise the issue of the Asia Cup 2025 trophy handover.
India won the Asia Cup on September 28, defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the eight-team tournament. However, the Indian team has still not received the championship trophy, which remains at the ACC headquarters.
The controversy deepened after the Indian players refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Throughout the tournament, Naqvi made several social media posts critical of India, amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Mohsin Naqvi Makes Surprise Appearance At ICC Headquarters
According to Cricbuzz, Naqvi has previously skipped several ICC gatherings, including the annual conference in Singapore in July. This history led to speculation that he might also miss Friday’s meeting, where BCCI was expected to formally raise the trophy dispute.
Despite this, Naqvi made a surprise appearance at the ICC headquarters. The meeting is expected to include serious discussions on the matter, with a resolution likely to follow.
BCCI is being represented in the meeting by its secretary, Devajit Saikia. He has consistently voiced concerns over the withheld trophy, alleging that standard presentation protocols were not followed.
“Ten days ago, we wrote to the ACC Chairperson, requesting that he hand over the trophy to the BCCI at the earliest. However, to this day, we have not received the trophy. We are waiting for another day,” Saikia told ANI earlier.
“If we do not get the trophy by 3 November, a meeting will be held at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. We will raise our grievance before the apex body of international cricket. I am sure ICC will do justice and help India get the trophy at the earliest,” he added.
Asia Cup Trophy And Presentation Controversy
The final match saw an unexpected delay in the presentation ceremony, which extended nearly an hour after the last ball.
Despite India’s victory, the team walked away without the trophy after Naqvi reportedly refused to change his stance over presenting it.
The ICC meeting is expected to deliberate on the issue and work toward resolving the standoff. Both cricket boards await the outcome, as the trophy dispute continues to cast a shadow over one of the region’s most watched cricket tournaments.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
