The BCCI on Tuesday raised a "strong objection" in the Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) annual general meeting (AGM) over India not being presented the winner's trophy of the Asia Cup, but ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi remained defiant by "still not agreeing" to it.
India were not awarded the trophy on Sunday after their refusal to take the silverware from Naqvi, who is also a minister in the Pakistan government and chairman of the country's cricket board. He also has a pronounced anti-India political position. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and former treasurer Ashish Shelar were the Board representatives in the AGM here.
The Asia Cup trophy remains in the ACC office and it is still not clear when it will duly reach the members of the winning team.
"India raised strong objection in the ACC meeting today on not handing over of the trophy and the drama by ACC Naqvi during the post-match award event," an ACC official said. However, he said Naqvi "still hasn't agreed to give the trophy".
"Shukla and Shelar categorically said that the trophy should be handed over to the winning team. It is an ACC trophy and doesn't belong to an individual. Naqvi did not say no to it, but he was passing the buck," he added.
The ACC official said Naqvi insisted that the matter should not be discussed in the AGM but brought up separately at some other time. “The single point agenda of the meeting was to elect a vice-chairman, but even that was deferred," he said. Naqvi, it is learnt, did not congratulate the BCCI members for India winning the Asia Cup, but was forced by Shelar to formally praise the Suryakumar Yadav-led side's unbeaten performance.
"When the meeting started, Naqvi, in his brief opening remark, congratulated Nepal for winning against the West Indies and Mongolia for becoming an ACC member, and concluded. That was when Shelar raised the point that 'why are you not congratulating India for the Asia Cup title?' He forced Naqvi to congratulate and the PCB chief agreed and duly congratulated," the ACC official said.
"Shukla and Shelar argued that the ACC should keep the trophy in the office and the BCCI would get it collected. They said 'we want the trophy as legitimate winners'. Naqvi was passing the buck, not saying no at the same time. It was made clear that the BCCI will complain to ICC, and Shelar briefly left the meeting," he said, quoting Naqvi as saying that the ACC chairman felt "like a cartoon" while waiting for the Indian team at the dais.
The BCCI will take the matter to the ICC, which will have its meeting in November.
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