The Asia Cup trophy was displayed in Colombo. Photo. AFP/file
KARACHI:
India has become increasingly upset over not receiving the Asia Cup trophy it won last month and has sent two letters to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), calling for the coveted silverware to 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 attend 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 courted controversy during last month’s Asia Cup after politicizing the game. The team members refused to exchange the traditional handshake with Pakistani players in all three encounters – the group match, the Super Four clash and the final.
Although India won all three matches and were crowned champions, they further fueled the 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 will now have to be collected in person at 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 handover of the Asia Cup trophy.
In his reply, 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 curated instead.
If a BCCI official eventually travels to Dubai to receive the trophy, observers say questions will arise as to why such unnecessary drama followed the final. However, the ACC is still adamant that the trophy will only be presented in person.
Sources further noted that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has no authority to compel the ACC to send the trophy by courier.
