Pakistan cricket chief denies apologizing over Asia Cup trophy row, invites India to collect prize
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday denied Indian media reports that he had apologized to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over a controversy surrounding the Asia Cup trophy, saying India was “welcome” to collect the prize from him.
The row stems from the final of the Asia Cup cricket tournament last week between India and Pakistan, longtime political arch-rivals. India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final but declined to receive the trophy and winners’ medals from Naqvi, who also serves as president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and is Pakistan’s interior minister.
The unprecedented standoff forced organizers to remove the trophy from the podium and cancel the main presentation ceremony.
Indian news outlets reported this week that Naqvi had apologized privately to the BCCI for the incident but had attached conditions to the handover of the trophy.
