A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official was absent from the Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand on Sunday leading to yet another organisational quagmire with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Despite the presence of Sumair Ahmed Syed, the PCB COO and Champions Trophy tournament director, he was not invited on stage during the event’s closing ceremony. Pakistan were the official hosts of the tournament that concluded on Sunday with India beating New Zealand by 4-wickets.
As per reports, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had been invited for the ceremony but was unable to join as he complained of being “unwell.” It is further reported that Sumair couldn’t be asked to join the rest of the administrators on stage because the protocol dictates including only the heads of the cricket boards and the ICC chief, in this case Jay Shah.
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An ICC spokesperson said Naqvi was invited to attend the final ceremony but did not come. “Mr. Naqvi was unavailable and did not travel to Dubai for the final,” the spokesperson stated.
ICC further clarified that the rules on who is invited for the ceremonies is same for all tournaments and no exception was created for the Champions Trophy which was partially held in Dubai due to India’s concerns over safety in Pakistan.
“The ICC only invites the head of the host board such as the president, vice president, chairman, or CEO – to participate in the awards ceremony. Other board officials, even if present at the venue, are not part of the stage proceedings,” the ICC spokesperson added.
During the ceremony, BCCI president Roger Binny presented the traditional white jackets to the winning Indian team and the medals to match officials, while Shah handed the trophy to skipper Rohit Sharma and gave the medals to the winners.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and New Zealand Cricket’s CEO Roger Twose were also present on stage.
On Monday Naqvi called the Champions Trophy a “historic event for cricket fans worldwide” while hailing the organising committee.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated PCB team, the vigilant law enforcement agencies, the supportive provincial governments, the esteemed ICC officials, and the phenomenal cricket teams that traveled to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Your commitment and collective efforts ensured the seamless execution of this prestigious tournament, transforming it into a resounding success,” Naqvi wrote on X on Monday.
“Pakistan takes immense pride in hosting this global spectacle, and your contributions have truly made it a historic event for cricket fans worldwide,” he added.
The Champions Trophy was Pakistan’s first major ICC tournament after last co-hosting the 1996 ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. The tournament was played across three venues in Pakistan – Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi apart from India’s matches that took place in Dubai, including the summit clash.
Former players lash out at no PCB presence
Image credit: Wasim Akram’s X handle
Former Pakistan players Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar were critical of PCB’s absence in the presentation ceremony in Dubai.
“As far as I know, Chairman Saab (PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi) wasn’t well but the people that came from there (PCB) were Sumair Ahmad Syed (Chief Operating Officer of PCB) and Usman Wahla (Director of International Cricket for PCB) but no one was there on the stage,” Akram said on the Dressing Room show after the event.
“We were the host, weren’t we right? How come even the COO of PCB or whoever it may be who was representing Chairman Saab, why weren’t they on stage? Were they not invited? I don’t know what the story is. It definitely looked odd to me while sitting here. Pakistani, koi na koi stage par khada hona bahot jaruri tha. Chahe wo cup na de, chahe wo medal na de, but somebody should’ve been there (It was imperative that Pakistan should have had representation in any form),” he added.
Akhtar took to X and said, “India have won the ICC Champions Trophy. There was one odd thing: no one from the Pakistan Cricket Board (was there) during the presentation ceremony. Pakistan was the host of the Champions Trophy, but no representative of Pakistan was standing. No one was there to present the trophy. It is beyond me. Think about it. The tournament was hosted by us, but there was nobody there. Feeling very down to see that,” he added.
