It has been more than a month since the Asia Cup ended, yet the controversy surrounding the tournament’s trophy continues. India, who defeated archrivals Pakistan to win the title, has still not received the Asia Cup trophy.
The issue has sparked a lot of drama in recent weeks. Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary, Debjit Saikia, has issued a stern warning to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), saying that if the trophy is not handed over within two days, the matter will be raised at the upcoming ICC Board meeting.
Indian players had refused to accept the trophy and medals from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi because he is Pakistani. As a result, Naqvi had to take the trophy and medals back to his hotel room after waiting for a long time on the field.
Naqvi then set a condition — that someone from the Indian team must personally visit the ACC office and receive the trophy from him. The issue was also discussed at an ACC meeting two days after the final, but no solution was reached.
Even after the BCCI sent a letter to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi requesting the return of the medal and trophy, India has still not received them.
Furthermore, the BCCI expects the Asia Cup trophy to be delivered to its headquarters in Mumbai “within the next two days.” If the stalemate continues, BCCI will raise the issue at the ICC meeting next Tuesday.
Speaking to India’s news agency PTI in a video interview, BCCI Secretary Debjit Saikia said,
“We are a bit unhappy that even after more than a month, the trophy has not been given to us. We haven’t given up. About ten days ago, we sent a letter to the ACC Chairman, but their stance hasn’t changed — they are still keeping the trophy. We hope that within a day or two, the trophy will reach BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.”
