New Delhi: Behind the Indian team’s refusal to take the Asia Cup trophy on Sunday night in Dubai from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi were a string of provocative tweets the cricket administrator and the country’s interior minister posted on the day of the final, and earlier in the tournament. Now, a slew of experts and ex-cricketers have come in support of the Indian players’ decision, calling Naqvi a “Munir chamcha”.
According to some media reports, in one such tweet that now stands deleted, Pakistan cricketers, including captain Salman Ali Agha and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, are seen wearing flight suits with images of airborne fighter jets in the background.
“He is the interior minister of his country, arguably the second-most powerful man in Pakistan. That blurs the line between politics and cricket,” independent cricket writer R Kaushik told ThePrint. “The fact that he deleted the post shows he knew it was wrong. End of argument.”
Former Mumbai off-spinner Kiran Mokashi was more blunt, calling Naqvi a “Munir chamcha”.
‘Neutrality impossible for Naqvi’
The controversy surrounding the trophy is refusing to die down three days after the final. On Wednesday, BCCI representative and ex officio member Ashish Shelar walked out of the ACC online meeting. Shelar was frustrated over the lack of clarity on when India would finally receive the Asia Cup trophy and players’ medals.
The Indian officials weren’t satisfied with Naqvi’s replies.
“Shelar informed members that the BCCI secretary Devajit Sakia has already written to ACC about the same but there has been no response,” a top BCCI official told The Indian Express.
“The BCCI wants the trophy and medals to be delivered to ACC’s office in Dubai from where the Indian board will get it collected. However, Shelar didn’t get a positive response for the same. So Shelar and Shukla decided to quit the meeting marking their protest,” the official added.
Once a journalist, Naqvi ran TV channels City 42 and Channel 24 before being parachuted into politics as Punjab’s interim chief minister. He was later handpicked by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to represent him on the PCB board of governors, paving his way to the chairman’s role.
Critics argue that Naqvi’s political baggage makes neutrality impossible.
“He was dropped into the PCB because of connections, not credentials,” Mokashi said. “He’s the interior minister of a government at odds with India. The Indian players were clear, they weren’t taking orders from him.”
Naqvi had also posted a video of Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating his goal with ‘airplane crash’ action, justifying Pakistan cricketer Haris Rauf’s on-field actions during a match against India.
Kaushik argues that while the point is valid, Naqvi should also highlight what exactly Rauf was celebrating.
“Ronaldo used that action to celebrate the goal, what was Rauf celebrating? He was standing on the boundary line and fielding,” he said.
Also read: Indians want to know how Munir got as tall as Trump. ‘Next-level obsession,’ Pakistanis say
Mounting backlash
Naqvi is facing mounting backlash at home after Pakistan faced three humiliating losses against India in the Asia Cup. Social media is abuzz with people demanding that Naqvi step down from the post of ACC chief.
“Naqvi has created the drama and spotlight on him. Think he should let it go and give the trophy to India. They were the worthy winners, you can’t deny them something they earned,” wrote Ahsan, who posts on X about cricket.
“‘If I receive even one complaint, I’ll fire the whole team.’ – Mohsin Naqvi This is what happens when you place fascist thugs with no experience as the chairman of a national institution,” wrote another user.
“I hope he gets complaints from every team, kya karega phir (What will he do then)?” read a comment on the post.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)