ICC explains PCB officials' absence from Champions Trophy final ceremony

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has addressed concerns regarding the absence of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final ceremony in Dubai.

The clarification came after Geo News sought comments from the ICC on the matter.

An ICC spokesperson stated that Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB Management Committee Chairman and the designated representative of the host board, had been invited to the ceremony but did not attend.

“Mr. Naqvi was unavailable and did not travel to Dubai for the final,” the spokesperson confirmed.

In response to criticism over the lack of Pakistani representation on stage, the ICC reiterated its established protocols for awards ceremonies.

“The ICC only invites the head of the host board—such as the president, vice president, chairman, or CEO—to participate in the awards ceremony. Other board officials, even if present at the venue, are not part of the stage proceedings,” the spokesperson explained.

The ICC emphasized that this protocol has been consistently followed across all its tournaments and is not exclusive to the Champions Trophy.

The absence of a PCB official on stage was solely due to the non-attendance of the board’s designated representative.

Meanwhile, sources have revealed that the PCB plans to raise the matter with the ICC regarding the lack of Pakistani representation at the closing ceremony.

According to sources, the PCB will formally question the ICC about why its CEO, Sameer Ahmed Syed, was not invited to the ceremony despite being present in Dubai as the tournament director.

“It is concerning that Pakistan was not given representation at the closing ceremony despite the presence of a key PCB official in Dubai,” a source said.

The Champions Trophy final was held in Dubai after India’s matches were relocated from Pakistan due to the Indian government’s refusal to send its cricket team to the country.