The International Cricket Council (ICC) has clarified the absence of a Pakistani representative during the closing ceremony of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which was held in Dubai on Sunday night.

According to Pakistan’s A Sports news report, an ICC spokesperson explained that Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the official representative of the host nation, had been invited to participate in the final ceremony but was unable to attend. “Mr. Naqvi was unavailable and did not travel to Dubai for the final,” the spokesperson confirmed.

Addressing concerns about the lack of Pakistani representation on stage, the ICC emphasized that only top officials of the host nation, such as the president, vice president, chairman, or CEO of the cricket board, are invited to participate in the awards ceremony as per long-standing protocol.

Meanwhile, reports from media outlets have suggested that the PCB is planning to formally protest the exclusion of PCB CEO Sumair Ahmed Syed from the event. PTI’s sources within the PCB reportedly claim that the board was not satisfied with the ICC’s explanation for the absence of Syed, who also served as the tournament’s director.

The news agency’s source further indicated that the ICC initially intended for Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to participate in the ceremony, but when he could not attend, the plans were altered. However, the PCB has rejected this reasoning, citing a series of issues throughout the tournament related to Pakistan’s role as the host nation.

Among these concerns was an incident where the Champions Trophy logo for Pakistan was removed from the broadcast during the India vs. Bangladesh match. Another mix-up occurred during the Australia vs. England game in Lahore, where the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played before the error was quickly corrected.

During the ceremony, India’s team was awarded white jackets by BCCI president Roger Binny, while ICC chairman Jay Shah handed the trophy to India’s captain, Rohit Sharma. Other dignitaries on stage included BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and New Zealand Cricket CEO Roger Twose.

Despite the controversy, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his appreciation to the teams, law enforcement agencies, provincial governments, ICC officials, and all involved parties for making the tournament a success.