WHERE’S THE TROPHY?
India beat Pakistan to win the Asia Cup but are yet to get the trophy © AFP
So, what is the status of the Asia Cup Trophy, controversially withheld from the victorious Indian team on September 28 in Dubai?
Several versions have surfaced, one rather inaccurately suggesting that Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi took the trophy to Pakistan after insisting that the Indian team would have to accept it from him personally.
The reality, however, may be slightly different, although the narrative about his insistence that the trophy be received from him is authentic. Cricbuzz reported about it on September 29
This website understands that the silverware – which was carried away from the Dubai International Stadium after the Indian team refused to accept it from Naqvi – is currently locked up in the ACC office in Dubai.
Instructions have been apparently issued by Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), to the ACC staff that it should not be moved from the office without his authorisation. The office, housed within the ICC Academy complex in Dubai, is staffed by two employees.
The core issue now is how the deadlock will be resolved. At the ACC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dubai on September 30, it was decided that the five Test-playing nations under the ACC – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan – would deliberate on the unresolved matter and come to a conclusion. Their meeting is scheduled for early next month, coinciding with the ICC’s quarterly gathering in Dubai.
But things may get complicated if Naqvi does not show up for the meeting. It is not guaranteed that Naqvi will attend. He had, in fact, stayed away from the ICC Annual Conference in July, and some within the ACC believe there is every chance he might once again send a representative to the meeting, scheduled from November 4 to 7.
In such a scenario, the deadlock could persist, and the trophy may continue to gather dust in the ACC office unless some sense prevails on the ACC members. A lot, of course, will depend on how the BCCI reacts to the situation. The BCCI is not helpless and may take measures to ensure that the Indian team rightfully receives the prize it won by defeating Pakistan in the final.
When contacted, BCCI officials said there is some time left before the meeting, and the board will chart its next course of action in due course. A PCB spokesman did not respond to a query from this website.
© Cricbuzz
