Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi has reiterated that if India wants the T20 Asia Cup 2005 trophy, they will have to accept it from him in Dubai.
“There is a status quo on trophy handing. If India wants the trophy, they must send their captain to Dubai and receive it from me,” Naqvi told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).
The trophy has been lying in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) office in Dubai since India captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to accept it from Naqvi during the presentation ceremony following India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final.
Naqvi claimed he was entitled to hand over the trophy as president of the ACC. He mentioned that Pakistan will write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the rude behaviour of Indian Under-19 players in the Junior Asia Cup. “We will be writing a letter to the ICC to complain about the behaviour of Indian Junior players during the final of the Junior Asia Cup which was not acceptable.”
Naqvi stated that there will be no compromise with India, and if they do not want to shake hands with Pakistani players, everything will be dealt with on equal terms. “If India does not allow their players to shake hands with our players then it will be dealt with on equal terms, and there will be no compromise,” Naqvi said in response to a question from Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net). “We have no interest in shaking hands with them.”
The controversy arose when Indian T20 captain Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, at the toss, a situation that persisted throughout all three matches in the Asia Cup held in September in Dubai. A handshake between rivals is customary in international matches.
This trend also continued during the Women’s World Cup in Sri Lanka in November, the Rising Star Asia Cup in Doha that same month, and the Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai.
Tensions between the two countries have been heightened following a four-day military conflict in May, triggered by a deadly militant attack on tourists in Pahalgam, J&K. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad.
Pakistan team mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed expressed concerns about the Indian Junior players’ behaviour, calling it “Uneducated and unacceptable.”
Pakistan won the heated final by a significant 191-run margin last Sunday.
In other news, Naqvi announced that former legendary paceman Wasim Akram will be the brand ambassador of the Pakistan Super League. “We have appointed Wasim Akram as the brand ambassador of the PSL, and we will handle the Multan Sultans franchise on our own next year before a new owner is found,” said Naqvi. Multan’s owner, Ali Tareen, had a falling out with the PCB and has stepped away from the franchise.