Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday said the Indian team is “welcome” to collect the Asia Cup trophy from him at the continental body’s head office, as the controversy over the champions being denied the top prize continued. In a post on X, Naqvi rejected reports claiming that he, during the ACC AGM on Tuesday, had apologised to BCCI officials for his actions at the presentation ceremony on Sunday, when he walked away with the trophy after the Indians refused to accept it from him.Naqvi, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and interior minister of his country, with a pronounced anti-India political stance, said: “As ACC President, I was ready to hand over the trophy that very day and I am still ready now. If they truly want it, they are welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me.”He added: “Let me make it absolutely clear: I have done nothing wrong and I have never apologised to the BCCI nor will I ever do so.”
NAQVI’S DEMANDS
- As ACC President, he is ready to hand over the
Asia Cup trophy to India. - He insists that if India wants the trophy, they are welcome to collect it from the ACC office.
- He maintains that he has done nothing wrong.
- He states he has never apologised to the BCCI and will never do so.
Ashish Shelar and Rajeev Shukla had represented the BCCI at the ACC AGM, raising strong objections over the trophy not being duly handed over to the Suryakumar Yadav-led side, which had defeated Pakistan in the final.
Naqvi reportedly told the BCCI officials that he was willing to give the trophy to the Indian team, but no decision was made at the AGM, further frustrating the BCCI leadership. The board plans to raise the matter at the ICC meeting in November.During the tournament, India and Pakistan faced each other three times, with India winning all encounters, including the final. The Indian team maintained a ‘no handshake policy’ with Pakistan players, angering the PCB.Tensions between the two neighbours remain high following the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 Indian tourists were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. India later launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ to dismantle terror infrastructure across the border.
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