Champions without the trophy: Asia Cup drama moves to boardroom

The Asia Cup may have crowned its champion, but the winners were left without their prize. India's five-wicket triumph over Pakistan in Dubai was followed by a logjam over the trophy presentation. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and ACC president Mohsin Naqvi refused to step aside, insisting that he alone had the prerogative of presenting the trophy, while the Indian team flatly declined to accept it from him. The fallout that initially turned into a tug-of-war situation has now spilled into cricket's boardrooms.

The BCCI wasted little time in hardening its stance. "We have decided not to take the trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan. So we will not accept it from him," secretary Devajit Saikia told a news agency after the final. India also has decided to escalate the matter at the ICC. "That does not mean that the gentleman will take away the trophy. We came along with the medals. It is very unfortunate, very unsporting.

"We hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible. This is definitely what we are going to do (protest). There is an ICC conference in the month of November or in the first week of November in Dubai. We are going to launch a very serious and very strong protest against the act of the ACC chairperson," the BCCI official remarked

The matter got further escalated when Naqvi posted a venomous response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory message to the Indian team which read, #OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers. (Sic)." Naqvi's rather improper reply harped on war, sports and politics of sports. "...No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game," a part of the post, geoblocked in India, read.

While the ICC meeting in November will provide the BCCI with a platform to formally lodge its protest, the immediate focus shifts to the ACC meeting in Dubai on Tuesday, September 30, at 2 pm local time (3:30 pm IST). The trophy standoff is expected to dominate discussions, carrying forward the unfinished business of the AGM that was adjourned in Dhaka on July 24 under BCCI pressure. With the Women's World Cup set to begin the same day, uncertainty lingers over BCCI's participation in the meeting, but one thing is certain - there will be no end to the controversy anytime soon.

The simmering tensions, actually, began before the first ball had been bowled, as Pakistan insisted on its own representative at the toss. The organisers and broadcasters wanted a figure of authority and experience, and Ravi Shastri - who opens matches in his signature style - was the natural pick, as usual. To meet Pakistan's demand, Waqar Younis was brought into the pre-match ritual. He spoke to their captain Salman Ali Agha after Shastri was done interviewing Suryakumar.

As the presentation ceremony was getting delayed, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) tried to work out a compromise, but Naqvi refused to relent. A proposal was floated with ECB chairman Khalid Al Zarooni and BCB president Aminul Islam crowning the winners and Naqvi honouring the Pakistan team. But Naqvi insisted that as the ACC chief it was his prerogative.

In a somewhat similar situation earlier this year, Naqvi chose to stay away from the spotlight, deciding not to travel to Dubai for the Champions Trophy final, even though the PCB was the host of that ICC event. This time however he was right there in Dubai, well in time. It is understood that the Pakistan camp was confident and Naqvi had come prepared to perform the ceremonial honours.

It was widely known at the Dubai International Stadium that the Indian team would not accept the trophy from a Pakistani official, yet no one addressed the issue till the final got over. The Indian team itself could not have raised it before even winning the match. After the match, the Indian team management made its stance clear.

The Indian camp, after consulting BCCI officials in Mumbai, reiterated that the team would take the trophy, but not from Naqvi. There was even a suggestion that a foreign member of the support staff, such as bowling coach Morne Morkel, could collect the prize but the idea seems to have got lost in the din of the post-match chaos.

More than 45 minutes after the final, the ceremony finally proceeded - with India accepting only the individual awards handed out by the sponsors. Host Simon Doull closed the proceedings with the words: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation."

So what next? This is where the plot thickens. Naqvi is understood to have told the organisers that the Indian team would receive their medals - and that he himself would present them, provided a formal function was arranged. It is unlikely that anyone will arrange such a function. The logjam continues.