The BCCI is expecting the Asia Cup winner’s trophy will reach its Mumbai headquarters “within a day or two”. However, if the deadlock continues, the Indian cricket board is planning to take the issue to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by November 4.
India had beaten arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Dubai to lift the Asia Cup but chose not to accept the trophy from Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman. The decision came after India captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart amid the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Naqvi has reportedly said the trophy can be handed over to India, but only if he is the one to present it. Even more than a month after the win, the BCCI is still waiting for the official handover of the trophy.
BCCI ‘unhappy’ over trophy delay
Talking about the incident, BCCI joint secretary Devajit Saikia told news agency PTI that the Indian board is “unhappy” about it. “Yes, we are a little unhappy with the way the trophy has not been given to us even after a month,” he said.
“We are pursuing the matter. About 10 days ago, we wrote a letter to the ACC chairman, but there has been no change in their stance. They are still keeping the trophy in their custody, but we hope it will reach the BCCI office in Mumbai within a day or two,” Saikia said.
He added that if the situation remains unresolved, the board will take the issue up at the ICC quarterly meeting in Dubai beginning November 4.
Trophy presentation chaos in Dubai
The trophy presentation in Dubai had already seen unusual delays – the ceremony was held up for over an hour before the silverware was quietly taken off the field, leaving the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team celebrating their victory without the trophy – something never before seen in international cricket.
While the BCCI has made formal requests for the trophy’s return, Naqvi is said to be insisting that Indian players collect it in person at a later event, and no formal agreement has yet been reached.
“On behalf of the BCCI, we are fully prepared to deal with the matter, and I can assure the people of India that the trophy will come back to India – only the timeline is not fixed. One day, it will come,” Saikia said.
“We have won all matches against Pakistan and won the trophy. We are the champions. Everything is on record – only the trophy is missing. I hope good sense will prevail,” he said.