At the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meetings in Dubai, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly brought up the subject of the missing Asia Cup 2025 trophy. The BCCI and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who also leads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), have reached a deadlock that the ICC has agreed to step in to resolve the issue.
India won the final on September 28 in Dubai, defeating Pakistan by seven wickets, although the squad has not yet been given the trophy. According to multiple reports, Naqvi is still in charge of the silverware, which is kept at the ACC headquarters in Dubai under his directives.
According to a report in India Today, the ICC has now established a committee to assist in resolving the issue. "BCCI has raised the Asia Cup trophy row with ICC. ICC has asked India and Pakistan to amicably resolve the issue. ICC stated that both India and Pakistan are important for world cricket and has formed a committee to look into this," the report quoted sources as saying on Friday.
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The report added that Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary who represented India at the ICC Board meeting, emphasized that the trophy should be given to the Indian team straight away. A number of ICC directors called for an early settlement, expressing worry that denying the victors a trophy would reflect poorly on cricket's governance.
The chairman of the Oman Cricket Board, Pankaj Khimji, who has friendly ties to both the BCCI and the PCB, was chosen by the ICC Board to lead the committee, the report added. According to Telecom Asia Sport, Khimji has previously mediated cricket-related disputes between the two boards.
The Indian men's cricket team's refusal to accept the trophy from Naqvi during the post-match presentation ceremony sparked the issue. As ACC President, Naqvi, who is also Pakistan's interior minister, was scheduled to handover the trophy. Confusion and conflict between the boards resulted from the trophy being taken out of the presentation area after Suryakumar refused to accept it from Naqvi.
About 10 days prior to the ICC conference, the BCCI had written to Naqvi asking that the Indian team get the trophy. But there was no reply. Later, the BCCI rejected Naqvi's offer to present the trophy at a different ceremony in Dubai on November 10 and instead brought up the matter at the ICC meeting.
According to the report, board members emphasized the value of upholding professionalism and unity between India and Pakistan during the meeting that was held in a cordial atmosphere. Saikia stated unequivocally that India will not receive the trophy directly from Naqvi, adding that the squad would have accepted it right away following the final if they had been willing to do so.
Now that the ICC has taken over, efforts are being made to ensure that the Indian team receives the Asia Cup trophy.
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