- India refuses to gather the Asia Cup Trophy from ACC chef Naqvi.
- Draws war into Sport Tonases Spirit of Game: Mohsin Naqvi
- Salman Agha slams India’s ‘disappointing’ behavior in the Asia Cup.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chief Mohsin Naqvi has strongly criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “pulling war into sports” and says such remarks undermine the game.
When he hit back to Modi, Naqvi, who is also the country’s Minister of the Interior, said the story has already recorded India’s humiliating defeat at Pakistan’s hands on the battlefield and warned that politicization of sports with conflict reflected desperation rather than pride.
“If the war was your goal of pride, the story already records your humiliating defeats at the hands of Pakistan. No cricket -fight can rewrite this truth. Pulling war into sports postponing only desperation and wandering the very spirit of the game,” Naqvi said in a post on X.
The statement came in response to Modi’s illogical tweet after India’s victory over Pakistan in Sunday’s Asia Cup 2025 final, where the Indian Prime Minister had been equated with the cricket victory with “Operation Sindoor” to congratulate its players, only to invite widespread condemnation that the comments militarize a sporting event.
By taking a jibe against the Indian leader, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also joined the criticism and said that Modi destroyed the culture and spirit of cricket for political gain, thereby reducing the chances of peace and conflict resolution in the subcontinent.
“Modi ends the possibilities of peace and solutions to questions in the subcontinent to save his politics by destroying the culture and spirit of cricket. Honor cannot be recovered in this way. The result of the Pak-India war, 6-0, has been engraved on Stone. We say nothing but modi have been humiliated in India and as well as in the world,” as he wrote.
Modi was facing criticism for his tweet not only by Pakistani leaders, but also by the people of his own country. Users of social media and commentators, even from Indian, quickly condemned the comparison. Critics say the equivalent of a cricket fight with a military operation risks politicizing sports and undermining the spirit of the game.
In response to the move, a journalist wrote at X: “A prime minister who declared cricket -struggle equivalent to war. Just because India lost the war to Pakistan, they need something just something to compensate for this loss.”
“To equate a cricket -victory with #Operationdoor, where our soldiers laid their lives, is deeply disrespectful,” another user wrote on X while taking a tomb on Modi.
Asia Cup Trophy Debacle
Earlier, the closing ceremony for the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 ended with controversy on Sunday, after the Indian cricket team refused to gather the winning trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also leads Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
India had previously defeated Pakistan with five wickets in a tense finale at Dubai International Cricket Stadium,
However, the presentation after the match was delayed after the Indian side refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi and damaged the Lord’s game.
The ceremony ended without the traditional transfer and marked an unusual ending to the tournament. No usual handshake was exchanged between players, which continued a pattern from previous matches where political undercurrents and increased tensions were clear.
“I have been informed by ACC that the Indian cricket team will not collect their awards tonight. So it ends the presentation after the match,” says program manager Simon Doull.
Pakistan -Skipper Salman Agha said India’s actions during the tournament had been “bad for cricket”.
“I think what happened in this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told journalists.
“If they think they didn’t respect us by not shaking hands, I say they didn’t respect cricket.
“It’s been seen for the first time. I don’t know where it will stop. What happened in this tournament is bad for cricket.”
Agha also said the team would donate their final match fees for the Asia Cup to families of civilians and children killed in the Indian attacks in May.
The Asia Cup marked the first cricketing competition between the two sides since their military confrontation in May, with off-field policy repeatedly overshadowed on the field.
– With additional input from AFP
