The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under intense criticism for not having any representative at the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was played at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
With India clinching the championship after beating New Zealand by four wickets, the podium included International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny, secretary Devajit Saikia, and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director Roger Twose, who attended to award awards to players.
Even though PCB's chief operating officer Sumair Ahmed, who also acted as the tournament director, was in Dubai, he was not invited to join the ceremony.
As reported by Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net), PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi could not attend because of his official work as Pakistan's interior minister. He had apprised the ICC of his attendance at a joint session of parliament in Islamabad, where President Asif Zardari would address.
Ex-Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar expressed his dismay on the social media, saying he was unable to understand why Pakistan did not have any representation at the important tournament.
"India has defeated Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy today, but I discovered something really strange. The official host of the tournament was Pakistan, yet no representative of the Pakistan Cricket Board was present at the trophy presentation. I don't get this. Why wasn't anybody there to present the trophy? Think about this—it's an international stage, yet unfortunately, I didn't see even one PCB member. It's truly disappointing," Akhtar said in a video posted on X.
Some of the ex-Pakistan cricketers feel that this scenario could send the wrong message to India, perhaps suggesting that PCB's absence was connected with India's participation in the final and their subsequent win.
Pakistan's first major ICC event as a host in almost three decades was the 2025 Champions Trophy. But their campaign came to an end in dismay as they were knocked out in the group stage after defeats to New Zealand and India.
According to the report, it is the responsibility of the ICC to choose the dignitaries who take part in the trophy presentation. Even though PCB's Sumair Ahmed was present in Dubai, he was not offered a place on the podium.
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