(Image Credit: @TheRealPCBMedia via X/ANI)
Mohsin Naqvi, the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will also receive the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Excellence Gold Medal in recognition of his role in the Asia Cup trophy handover scandal. Organisers are justifying the award by using the excuse that he took a principled and brave position by effectively depriving India of the trophy in controversial circumstances.
The controversy involved the final of the Asia Cup where India, although they won the match, refused to accept the trophy given by Naqvi at the post match event. This move by the Indian team was greatly construed to mean political snubbing. Naqvi replied by keeping the trophy as he said that should India really need it, they were welcome to pick it up at ACC headquarters. He also resorted to social media to explain that he did nothing wrong and would not apologise to the BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India). His role has been well received in Pakistan both in political and sporting circles and the proposed award has been seen as a symbolic move to pay attention to dignity, sovereignty and national pride. It will arrange a formal award ceremony in Karachi in the future, and the main guest will probably be the Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The arrangements will be made by a committee composed of the sports administrators in Sindh and Karachi.
In the meantime, there is the diplomatic and cricketing backlash. The BCCI has already brought the issue to the attention of the ACC at its annual meeting and there is speculation that it could be taken further to the International Cricket Council (ICC) during a future meeting. In the background of the tense India Pakistan relationship, such as the recent tensions between the two countries and the historic events, the trophy row is no longer just a sports controversy. It seems that Pakistan is willing to elevate Naqvi to a pedestal, claiming that the decision to hold on to the Asia Cup trophy was a daring one and a show of national pride. It remains yet to be seen whether the cricketing world, particularly, India and ICC will accept this symbolic reward without any further protests.
A viral video from an IndiGo counter shows a distressed father begging staff for a…
The Gabba audience was completely taken by surprise when Marnus Labuschagne performed a spectacular full…
Shakti Dubey topped the UPSC 2024 exam by securing AIR 1 in her fifth attempt,…
