The Asia Cup trophy was on display in Colombo. Photo. AFP/Archive
KARACHI:
India is increasingly upset over not receiving the Asia Cup trophy it won last month and has sent two letters to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), urging that the coveted silverware be sent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) via courier.
However, ACC president Mohsin Naqvi responded by asking the BCCI to send an official and a player to a ceremony in Dubai on November 10 to receive the trophy in person. Since then, the Indian board has remained silent, at least for now.
India had sparked controversy during last month’s Asia Cup after politicizing the game. The team members refused to exchange the traditional handshake with the Pakistani players in all three matches – the group match, the Super Four clash and the final.
Although India won all three games and were crowned champions, they further fueled controversy by refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi at the award ceremony in Dubai because he is Pakistani.
Naqvi later made it clear that the trophy must now be collected in person from the ACC office. Sources said that in the second week of this month, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla sent a letter to the ACC demanding the handover of the Asia Cup trophy.
In his response, Naqvi reiterated that the ACC would hold a presentation ceremony in Dubai on November 10, where the BCCI could bring a member of the winning team to collect the trophy. Sources added that on October 20, Shukla sent another letter requesting that the trophy be mailed.
If any BCCI official eventually travels to Dubai to receive the trophy, observers say questions will arise as to why such unnecessary drama followed the final. The ACC, however, remains firm that the trophy will only be presented in person.
Sources further pointed out that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has no authority to force the ACC to send the trophy via courier.
