India defeated Pakistan to retain their Asia Cup crown but declined to accept the trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, bringing an unusual close to a politically sensitive tournament on Sunday.
The high-stakes final followed weeks of tension between the two nuclear-armed nations, who had clashed militarily in May. India and Pakistan faced each other three times in the eight-nation event in the UAE, with India victorious on each occasion.
Following India’s five-wicket win in the Dubai International Stadium final, the presentation ceremony was delayed for over an hour and abruptly shortened before the trophy handover.
“The Indian team will not be collecting their awards tonight,” said presenter Simon Doull, citing ACC officials.
India crowned Asia Cup champions after 5-wicket win over Pakistan
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia later confirmed that players had declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman. He said the BCCI would formally raise the matter at the next International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting.
While the team skipped the trophy handover, individual award winners Tilak Varma (player of the match), Abhishek Sharma (player of the tournament) and Kuldeep Yadav (MVP) accepted their honors. They, however, did not acknowledge Naqvi, who notably refrained from applauding them.
Source: Agency