The Asia Cup finale on September 28 was historic on the field, during the match, and in the post-match period. While India sealed the championship with a five-wicket victory, the post-match presentation turned into an international talking point, all thanks to Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister and PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.
When Indian players refused to accept the trophy from his hands, Naqvi was left standing on stage, clutching the silverware as cameras rolled and the stadium booed. For nearly an hour, the trophy remained stranded, the Pakistani team stayed hidden in their dressing room, and the audience witnessed one of the strangest yet nationalistic ceremonies in cricket history.
Finally, in a move that stunned viewers and went online, someone from the Asian Cricket Council removed the trophy from the dias and walked off the ground with it without any explanation. Social media erupted in ridicule, with memes branding Mohsin Naqvi as the ‘trophy thief’ and quips circulating that ‘if you can’t win it, at least take it home.’
Naqvi had already drawn criticism before the final with his comment that Pakistani players had a ‘free hand to do whatever they want’ on the field, which Pakistani players followed to the letter. The pattern is eat, sleep, and lose, which they did perfectly.
For India, the team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, performed exceptionally throughout the tournament. Apart from winning the tournament, the players took home every individual award. However, the political taunting started by Pakistani players did not end well for them. Emerging in slippers and practice t-shirts, the players disrespected the game at a whole other level.
But what is to be expected from a team led by a politician like Mohsin Naqvi? His presence on the Asia Cup stage was seen less as a sporting gesture and more as political posturing. For many, it raised the uncomfortable question of whether cricket in Pakistan is being run as a game or as a government portfolio.
Technically, if a team refuses to accept an award from a particular person, in this case, ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, they are not breaking any rules. Nowhere in the rulebook is it written that the trophy must be presented by the ACC chairman; it is a tradition rather than a rule. So, all this fiasco wasn’t on India, but on the stubbornness of Naqvi, who was more focused on scoring political points back home.
The question is, what action will ICC take next?
