BCCI to raise Asia Cup trophy issue at ICC meeting if not resolved by Monday

Dubai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, has stated that India will bring up the issue of the Asia Cup trophy during the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting on November 4, should the trophy not be handed over to India by Monday.

The controversy began when India declined to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi during the post-match presentation ceremony of the Asia Cup final. Following India’s refusal, an official quietly removed the trophy from the dais and carried it off the field without explanation.

After the Indian women’s cricket team clinched the ICC Women’s World Cup title on Sunday, Saikia drew a light-hearted comparison between the two events.

“After today’s victory, our team got the trophy immediately. When our men’s team won the Asia Cup in Dubai, the trophy, till date, has not landed in the BCCI office,” he remarked.

Saikia added that the BCCI had written to the ACC chairperson ten days earlier, requesting that the trophy be handed over promptly.

“If we do not get the trophy by November 3, we will raise the issue at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. I am sure the ICC will do justice and help India get the trophy at the earliest,” he said.

Despite the dispute, the Indian men’s team found humour in the situation. Captain Suryakumar Yadav playfully reenacted former skipper Rohit Sharma’s slow walk from the 2024 T20 World Cup final, pretending to lift an imaginary trophy alongside his teammates.

The standoff stems from India’s refusal to accept the trophy directly from Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister, amid heightened cross-border tensions between the two nations following India’s five-wicket win.