The cricketing fraternity in Pakistan has been left perplexed following the conspicuous absence of any Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official on stage during the presentation ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy final between India and Australia.
While ICC Chairman Jay Shah was prominently seen handing over the trophy to India’s winning captain Rohit Sharma and distributing medals to players, no PCB representative was involved in the proceedings, despite Pakistan being the official host of the tournament.
The absence has sparked widespread outrage in Pakistan, with former cricketers and fans expressing their discontent over the perceived snub. Cricket legend Wasim Akram admitted his astonishment at the situation, emphasizing that PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sumair Ahmed Syed was present at the venue in Dubai, standing in for PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, yet was not seen on stage during the ceremony.
Speaking on the Dressing Room show live after the final, Akram voiced his bewilderment over the matter.
“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 for PCB), but no one was there on the stage,” Akram remarked.
The controversy has since gained momentum, with several questions being raised about the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) handling of the closing ceremony. Many within Pakistan’s cricketing circles have demanded clarification on whether PCB officials were deliberately excluded or simply not invited to participate in the trophy presentation.
Expressing his disappointment, Akram further added: “We were the host, weren`t we? How come even the COO of PCB or whoever was representing Chairman Saab wasn’t on stage? Were they not invited? I don`t know the full story, but 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 one of the representatives from Pakistan should have had representation in some form, even if they weren’t presenting the trophy or medals).”
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