New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) The Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai next week could create an awkward presentation scenario for the BCCI if India go all the way to the final as Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi, in his capacity as the Asian Cricket Council chief, might once again be on the dais to do the honours.
The Indian men’s team had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi last year owing to the Pahalgam terror attack and the ensuing military showdown between the two countries. Naqvi walked away with the trophy which has still not been handed over to the champions.
Naqvi also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board and is his country’s Interior Minister. The women’s continental tournament will be held from August 28 to September 13.
India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group, with their league-stage clash slated for September 5.
But unlike the men’s Asia Cup, the women’s tournament does not offer the prospect of multiple India-Pakistan meetings before the final.
That means the two teams can meet again only if they both progress to the summit clash, a possibility that could bring the trophy presentation issue into focus once more.
The obvious question now is: what happens if Harmanpreet Kaur’s team wins the women’s Asia Cup and Naqvi is on the presentation dais? Will the Indian women’s team follow the precedence set by Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates and decline to receive it from Naqvi? The BCCI’s position on such a situation is not known, leaving open the possibility of an unusual presentation ceremony if India are crowned champions.
The Board is clear that there would be no exchange of pleasantries between the two teams but will adopt a wait and watch approach as far as the possibilities regarding the presentation ceremony are concerned.
One way of avoiding a repeat of last year’s controversy could be for Naqvi to not be the person handing over the trophy, letting another ACC official to perform the honours.
After India declined to receive the men’s trophy from Naqvi, the ACC chief said the the side could collect the trophy from him at the ACC office.
There has also been an attempt to break the deadlock, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia meeting Naqvi on the sidelines of an ICC meeting.
Saikia had said the “ice had been broken” between the two sides, although the trophy issue remains unresolved at that point.
Naqvi subsequently maintained that India would have to collect the silverware from him, keeping the issue alive even after the tournament had ended.
For now, the focus remains on the tournament itself, with the presentation question becoming relevant only if India qualify for the final and emerge champions.
But if Harmanpreet’s team does lift the trophy, the identity of the official handing it over could become an intriguing subplot to the Women’s Asia Cup. PTI KHS PM PM PM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.