The Asia Cup final in Dubai turned into drama even after the last ball was bowled. India beat Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting match that ended close to 11.00 pm. But the real shock came later when the Indian players refused to take the Asia Cup trophy. The reason was simple. The award was supposed to be given by Mohsin Naqvi who is the Asian Cricket Board’s president and a minister in Pakistan.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI that the team had made up a mind. They would not accept the cup from Naqvi. He said this does not mean the man can walk away with the cup and medals. Saikia called it very sad and added that India expects the trophy and medals to be handed over to the team soon. He even mentioned that in the ICC meeting scheduled in November in Dubai India will raise a strong protest against what happened.
The presentation delay had left everyone wondering. The match was over long before midnight but the stage was not set. Fans guessed that India was not ready to accept the trophy from Naqvi. The ACC had earlier announced on the website that it would present the cup. When the ceremony finally started some Indian players like Kuldeep Yadav Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma got their personal awards from other guests not from Naqvi. Then Pakistan captain Salman Agha took the runners-up cheque from Naqvi and that was it.
The host Simon Doull told everyone during the live show that India will not be taking their awards. So the presentation wrapped up right there.
At the press conference Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav looked surprised himself. He said never in his cricket life had he seen a champion side lose their trophy. He added the real trophies are the teammates and the support staff who fought through the tournament. He also made it clear that the call to refuse was the team’s own decision and that no one had pushed them into making the call.
After the match, the Pakistan players went straight to their dressing room while the Indians stayed on the ground. The stage took ages to get ready. Naqvi arrived and was seen speaking in heated tones with other officials as the crowd began to leave slowly. When the stage was almost ready the cup was lifted from the stage and carried away with no explanation.
During the ceremony Indian players stepped on stage for their awards but they never greeted Naqvi. He also did not clap for them. The Pakistan side however collected their silver medals with Naqvi posing with their captain. Later the Indian team celebrated in their own style by holding up an invisible trophy and sharing the joy with fans.
Reports say India had already made up its mind to avoid direct contact with Naqvi. They had not shaken hands with Pakistan across all three matches of the tournament even at the toss or after play. This move received opposition from Pakistan captain Agha and coach Mike Hesson but India stood firm. Tensions were already high with arguments on the field and even fines handed out to Suryakumar and Haris Rauf after earlier games.
