Pakistan dedicate Asia Cup final match fees to ‘innocent victims’ of India’s May 7 attack
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan cricket team has decided to dedicate its Asia Cup final match fees to the “innocent victims” of the May 7 attack launched by India, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday, as political tensions continued to dominate the tournament even after it concluded.
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the thrilling Asia Cup final on Sunday night. However, controversy ensued after the Indian cricket team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the PCB chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match press conference that India were “denied” the trophy while Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said India had “disrespected” cricket by their actions.
Tensions dominated the Asia Cup tournament right from its onset, which saw the two arch-rivals meet on the cricket field for the first time after their militaries engaged in a brief confrontation in May this year. Over 70 people were killed on both sides of the border after the two countries targeted each other with fighter jets, artillery fire, drones and missiles. The confrontation began on May 7 after India launched missile and air strikes on multiple sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, saying it had targeted militants. Pakistan denied the allegations, saying only innocent civilians were killed and claimed it shot down six Indian jets in response the same night.
