New Delhi: The ICC Champions Trophy is over, but controversy around the tournament refuses to die. A day after former cricketers questioned the absence of the Pakistan Cricket Board officials from the presentation ceremony in Dubai, the PCB lodged an official complaint against the ICC for “sidelining it”. The board in its letter stated that they are “appalled by this blatant disregard for Pakistan’s role as the host nation”.
All three representatives at the presentation ceremony were Indian: former BCCI secretary and ICC chairman Jay Shah, BCCI president Roger Binny, and current BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. Despite the presence of PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed Syed and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, they were not involved in the ceremony, Dawn reported.
The cricket board has demanded a public apology and an explanation from the ICC, according to a PCB spokesperson.
“The ICC’s decision to exclude Mr. Syed — who was both the Tournament Director and the PCB Chairman’s designated representative — goes against its own standard operating procedure. This is a matter of principle, fairness, and respect for the global stakeholders of the game,” the board stated.
The ICC responded to these allegations, stating that the official protocol requires the board’s president, vice president, chairman, or CEO to be present on stage. PCB, however, does not have a CEO and had reportedly sent Syed—the board’s COO and Champions Trophy tournament director—on behalf of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi who was unable to attend due to an illness.
The PCB views the incident as part of the ICC’s “repeated blunders” amid the omission of Pakistan’s name from the official tournament logo in the India-Bangladesh group-stage match and the playing of the Indian national anthem before the Australia-England game at Gaddafi Stadium.
“The PCB has made its stance clear: This is not just about the presentation ceremony — it’s about respect, integrity, and the fundamental principles of fair governance in international cricket. The world is watching. Will the ICC uphold professionalism, or continue to serve selective interests at the expense of cricket’s global integrity?” a PCB spokesperson told Dawn.
Also read: Pakistanis are bitter about hybrid Champions Trophy. They hope Kohli will speak up someday
PCB vs BCCI
Former Pakistani cricketers too had raised this issue.
“We [Pakistan] were the hosts, weren’t we? A Pakistani should have been on the stage, even if they didn’t hand over the cup or medals, in my opinion,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said on Sports Central’s Dressing Room show.
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar, across his social media channels, questioned this move, adding that “it was beyond his understanding, why this was done”.
Pakistanis, meanwhile, are amused at PCB crying over spilt milk. “You brought this upon yourself by agreeing to have India play in the UAE instead of Pakistan. Stop whining and focus on building a better team. Neither you nor the team seem to have any self-respect,” Mujtaba Salawal wrote on Instagram.
India played all their matches in Dubai after the Indian government refused to allow the team to travel across the border due to security concerns. With India qualifying for the semis and the finals, Pakistan lost the right to host two important games despite being the host.
“They sidelined you the day when India refused to come to Pakistan,” said another Instagram user Rifat Murad.
Others, however, are siding with the PCB. “ICC has no morals; they are playing political games in cricket which has no boundaries. People of both countries love each other’s players and enjoy the match. PCB owns an apology if ICC has done that period!” another person on Instagram said.
Pakistani cricket fans chimed in. “No welcome ceremony, Excluding host name in a game from UAE, National anthem mess, Make a mess of the ground after rain, Exclusion of PCB officials from Closing Ceremony. BCCI led ICC sabotaged Pakistan’s tournament as much as they could and sadly, because the PCB chairman is not the politically appointed person (like always) from a popular party, our people, instead of supporting the board, ran campaigns against instead. PCB isn’t the Perfect board in any sense but we could’ve tried to show Unity against conspiracy to isolate us,” Syed Israr Hashmi wrote on X.
“This is a shameful reflection not only on ICC’s total surrender to India’s cricket politics but also on PCB’s appeasement & kowtowing before what should have been unacceptable demands made on a host country. Absolutely pathetic that PCB failed to assert its rights as a Host nation,” PTI member Shireen Mazari wrote on X.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)