Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has expressed his disappointment over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi not going to Dubai for the trophy presentation of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. He said that being the host, he should’ve gone to attend the final.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final took place between India and New Zealand on Sunday (9th March). The match took place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, and it saw big names from BCCI, ICC, and NZC attending the match and being there at the Trophy presentation ceremony.
PCB CEO Sumair Ahmed wasn’t invited on stage for the final presentation
But what caught the attention of many was that there wasn’t anyone from PCB, who was the host of the tournament. Chairman Mohsin Naqvi didn’t travel to Dubai due to personal reasons, and instead, chief operating officer Sumair Ahmed, who was the tournament director of the Champions Trophy, attended the final in Dubai.
But Sumair Ahmed wasn’t invited on stage for the final presentation. ICC chairman Jay Shah, BCCI president Roger Binny, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and New Zealand Cricket’s CEO Roger Twose were the individuals who were present on the stage for the ceremony.
With PCB officials not allowed to be there on the stage, there has been a massive controversy related to the same. The governing body lodged an official complaint to the ICC, who didn’t pay heed to their demands, saying that it was against the protocols of the ICC to keep the director of the tournament on stage.
He has his airplane, being the host of the Champions Trophy, he could have gone and come back the same night – Basit Ali on Mohsin Naqvi
Amid all the fuss, Basit Ali came up with his verdict on the same. Basit said that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has his own plane, and hence, he could’ve easily gone there and come back. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said:
“Mohsin Naqvi, who is the PCB chairman, should have gone to Dubai. This is my view. Because he has his airplane. Being the host of the Champions Trophy, he could have gone and come back the same night. Only he knows better what problem was there. But he should have gone,” said Basit Ali.
There was no one from Pakistan in prize distribution because the PCB chairman was not there – Basit Ali
Basit Ali also pointed out the mistake committed by Jay Shah. He said that he shouldn’t have sat with BCCI officials because he is ICC chairman now. The former Pakistan cricketer also admitted that there wasn’t anyone on the podium from Pakistan because the chairman was not there.
“Jay Shah was there. He also made a little mistake and He is not the BCCI secretary now. He is the ICC head and He should have been seated elsewhere. When you get a position like this, you need to be careful of the media too. There was no one from Pakistan in prize distribution because the PCB chairman was not there.”
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