The International Cricket Council (ICC) said why Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials were absent from the Champions 2025 trophy in Dubai on the night of the final. Several fans and experts have been perplexed to see any PCB representative on the podium, although Pakistan is the host of the event.
A spokesperson for the ICC revealed that the president of the PCB, Mohin Naqvi, was not available for the final of the Champions 2025 trophy and did not go to Dubai. In the absence of NAQVI, the COO of the PCB and the tournament director, Sumair Ahmad Syed, attended the confrontation of the summit.
Explaining why Syed was not invited on stage during the price presentation or distribution ceremony, the spokesperson said (cited by Times of India):
“Mr. Naqvi was not available and did not go to Dubai for the final. The ICC only invites the head of the Board of Directors such as the Chairman, the Vice -President, the President or the CEO – to participate in the award ceremony. Other officials of the Board of Directors, even if they are present on the site, are not part of the stage procedure.”
India beat New Zealand with four counters in the final. The men of the Rohit Sharma blue skipper received the coveted trophy by the president of the ICC, Jay Shah, while the president of the Cricket Control Council in India (BCCI) presented the white Blazers to the members of the winning team.
Pakistan was the official host of the Champions 2025 trophy. However, all the matches of India took place in Dubai following the refusal of the board of directors to send their team to the neighboring country due to security problems.
“We organized the tournament, but there was no one there” – Shoaib Akhtar unhappy to see no official PCB at 2025 Champions Trophy Ceremony
After the 2025 champions trophy final, former Speedster Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar published a video on social networks to express his dissatisfaction with the absence of PCB officials from the presentation ceremony.
He stressed that the tournament was organized by Pakistan, and someone from the PCB should have been on stage. The 49 -year -old said (cited by Hindustan Times):
“India won the ICC Champions trophy. There was a strange thing: person from Pakistan Cricket Board during the presentation ceremony. Pakistan is the host of the Champions Trophy, but there was no representative of Pakistan who was standing. No one was there to present the trophy. It was beyond me.
“Think about it. It was the world scene, you should have been there, but unfortunately, I could not see a member of the board of directors of Pakistan Cricket there. We organized the tournament, but there was no one there. Feeling very depressed to see this.”
Pakistan had a lamentable campaign. They underwent an embarrassing outing in the group phase, ending at the bottom of the point table in group A.
Edited by Vahnavi Iyer
