The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to officially protest to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the exclusion of its CEO and Champions Trophy 2025 tournament director, Sumair Ahmed Syed, from the closing ceremony in Dubai.
As per a PCB source, chairman Mohsin Naqvi was upset with the explanation given by the ICC as to why Ahmed wasn't included in the presentation ceremony on Sunday.
"The ICC is said to have replied that the plans were originally made for Mohsin Naqvi to feature on stage, but when he skipped the final, they changed their plan," the source disclosed.
In the concluding match of the tournament, India secured a four-wicket win over New Zealand.
The PCB, however, has rejected the ICC’s reasoning, emphasizing that multiple missteps were made throughout the event concerning Pakistan’s role as the host nation.
Among the issues raised was the change of the Champions Trophy 2025 logo during the live telecast of the India-Bangladesh match, and a case where the Indian national anthem was played by mistake during the Australia-England match in Lahore. The ICC subsequently blamed the anthem blunder on a playlist error, saying it was corrected within seconds.
At the award ceremony, Indian players were given the white blazers by BCCI president Roger Binny and medals were given to the umpires and match referees. Indian captain Rohit Sharma was presented the trophy by ICC chairman Jay Shah and the winning team was given medals by him. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and New Zealand Cricket's CEO Roger Twose were also present on stage.
In spite of the scandal, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was grateful for the initiatives of all the stakeholders to successfully conduct the tournament.
"Your commitment and cooperation made this prestigious tournament a success," Naqvi said in a social media post. "Pakistan prides itself on hosting the Champions Trophy and providing a memorable experience to cricket fans all over the world."
Read also| India Knows the Conditions, But We're Ready for a Battle: Santner
Read also| Indian Football Legend Sunil Chhetri Reverses Retirement at 40
