Desk Report:
Officials are standing on the stage. But Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav did not come forward to receive the trophy. Such an incident is rare in the history of cricket; no team has become a champion but has not come up to the stage to receive the trophy! That scene was seen after India won the Asia Cup.
There was a shadow of war in the India-Pakistan duel throughout the tournament. Why would the final be left out? India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in a thrilling final at the Dubai International Stadium to become the champion. Then another drama began. The Indian team did not want to receive the trophy from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi, who is the chairman of the PCB. The Asian Cricket Council tried to convince Suryakumar and Bumrah but failed. Later, it was said that they wanted to receive the trophy from Khalid Al Zarooni, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates Cricket Board, who was on the stage.
India agreed to it, but added one condition. Naqvi could not be on the stage under any circumstances. Hearing this, Naqvi was furious.
The award ceremony began about an hour after the match ended. After giving away the Man of the Match, Man of the Series and Runner-up awards, presenter Simon Dooll said, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be accepting any awards tonight. So the award ceremony is over.”
The Indian team later had a photo session without any trophy. The Indian captain celebrated with the invisible trophy in front of his teammates, walking slowly like Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The organizing authorities have called an emergency meeting to discuss how to explain the title to India. BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul confirmed the matter. The BCB President was also present at the award ceremony in Dubai.
