Former Pakistan captain slams India for refusing Asia Cup 2025 Trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

DUBAI: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif on Sunday night strongly criticised the Indian cricket team after they refused to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, following their victory over Pakistan in the tournament final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Taking to social media platform X, Latif said, “The Indian cricket team is a strong candidate for suspension after refusing to collect the Asia Cup 2025 trophy and awards from the ACC Chairman. In any other sport, this would have been an open-and-shut case.”

However, the former wicketkeeper expressed scepticism over any disciplinary action being taken, adding, “With the ICC Chairman, CEO, CFO, Commercial Chief, and Head of Events and Communications all being Indians, suspension seems unlikely.”

Describing the incident as “an ugly day for cricket,” he accused India of violating the spirit and essence of the gentleman’s game “in broad daylight,” and called for stronger accountability to uphold cricketing ethics.

During the closing ceremony, the Indian team did not collect their winners’ medals or the Asia Cup trophy. The delay followed a brief standoff between the ACC and the Indian squad, which reportedly refused to receive the silverware from ACC President Naqvi, who also serves as PCB Chairman.

The ceremony, featuring all eight participating teams, began after an hour-long delay. 

Individual awards were presented: India’s Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Tilak Varma were recognised for their performances in the final, while Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha collected the prize money for finishing as runners-up. 

Later, Kuldeep Yadav received the Best Bowler of the Tournament award, and left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Tournament.

Despite the presentations, the ceremony concluded without the winning team collecting the trophy. 

Presenter Simon Doull announced, “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.”

Sources confirmed the delay occurred due to India’s refusal to accept the trophy from Naqvi, reportedly on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Naqvi, however, stood firm and did not relent.

India eventually clinched the Asia Cup 2025 title after a hard-fought five-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan, securing their ninth continental crown.