The Asia Cup trophy controversy continued for the second year in a row after the Indian women’s team chose not to collect the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday.
Did India skip the post-match presentation after their victory?
Harmanpreet Kaur and her team beat Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win a record eighth Women’s Asia Cup title. However, the Indian players did not return to the field for the official trophy presentation. India head coach Amol Muzumdar said the team was officially the champion and that the trophy itself was not important to them. He added that refusing to receive it from Naqvi was the BCCI’s decision.
How does this echo the Indian men’s team snub from last year?
A similar situation took place last year when the Indian men’s team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Naqvi. He is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Where is last year’s Asia Cup trophy currently located?
India have still not received the trophy from last year’s tournament. It has remained at the ACC office, while Suryakumar Yadav’s team celebrated on the stage without the physical trophy. This time, the Indian women did not even come back onto the field after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia awarded Nandani Sharma an in-house best fielder medal.
Did Sri Lanka participate in the official presentation ceremony?
Sri Lanka meanwhile accepted their runners-up cheque from Naqvi. Earlier, the Sri Lankan players and support staff had received their medals from SLC interim chief Eran Wikramaratne. Naqvi presented the award to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu before leaving the stadium. Unlike last year, he did not take the Asia Cup trophy with him when he left.
What is driving the underlying tension between the two cricket boards?
Relations between India and Pakistan have remained strained since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor last year. Teams from both countries have also followed a no-handshake policy when facing each other in Asian and ICC tournaments.