Mohsin Naqvi to be awarded gold medal after Asia Cup trophy controversy
Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, is set to be honoured with the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Excellence Gold Medal for his role in the dramatic Asia Cup trophy handover.
According to reports in The Nation and The Independent, Advocate Ghulam Abbas Jamal, President of the Sindh and Karachi Basketball Associations, announced the award, saying Naqvi’s actions had “restored national pride” during a period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. “This is not just about cricket,” Jamal said. “This is about dignity, sovereignty, and the refusal to bend under pressure.”
Naqvi became the centre of a major controversy after Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his team declined to receive the winner’s trophy from him following their five‑wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final. In response, Naqvi left the presentation area with the trophy. Later, he posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I did nothing wrong, and I did not — and will not — apologise to the BCCI.”
Event organisers have indicated that a formal award ceremony is planned in Karachi, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari invited as the chief guest. The ceremony is being overseen by a special committee led by Sindh Basketball Association Chairman Khalid Jameel Shamsi.
Pakistani figures rally behind Naqvi’s stance
Naqvi’s actions have drawn support from prominent Pakistani cricket figures. Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali strongly defended Naqvi’s position, taking aim at the Indian team for refusing the trophy. “They are the No. 1-ranked team, but their actions are third-rate. Mohsin Naqvi will present the trophy. If they refuse to accept, they would be disgraced in the eyes of the world. The trophy should not be handed over,” Basit told Pakistan’s ARY News.
He added, “You’re the No.1 team, you played well and won, but what is this stubbornness? Mohsin Naqvi is the head of the Asian Cricket Council. Suppose it had been an ICC event, and Pakistan refused to accept the trophy from Jay Shah, Pakistan would have been wrong there.”
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf also backed Naqvi. Speaking to Samaa TV, Yousuf said, “What Chairman Sir (Mohsin Naqvi) is doing is absolutely right. He has taken the correct stand. India should have taken the trophy at that moment. According to ACC and ICC rules, he was standing there as ACC chief, and the trophy should have been handed through his hands only.”
Yousuf criticised the Indian players for turning the incident into a spectacle. “You didn’t take it at that moment, so what’s the hurry now? You should have gone and collected it from his office if you remembered that you had to take the trophy. At the ground, you were busy making your films. I said it that day too they are not coming out of the filmy world.”
“This is sports, this is cricket; movies won’t be playing here. In movies, there are retakes and all, but becoming a hero in movies is a different thing. You are playing a genuine sport here, and now you are saying you want the trophy,” he said.
Indian players and ex-cricketers hit back at Naqvi
The backlash has been equally strong from India’s side. Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rahul Tewatia expressed disappointment over the handling of the trophy. Speaking to ANI, he said, “As far as the trophy is concerned, based on what we heard and saw, we did not get the trophy. Our players and management were waiting. We found out that the trophy wasn’t given. The players were made to wait for a long time, and the trophy was taken back. They went to play cricket and won the final. In history, the name of the person who won the final is often recorded, regardless of whether the trophy was awarded or not.”
“They did not give us the trophy. That’s their headache. India won the final. By taking the trophy back, the Pakistan team has not won it,” Tewatia added.
Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal was even more scathing. In an interview with India Today, he said, “All these things should not have happened. When players lift that trophy in front of the fans, or on live TV, that is when it looks good.”
“Mohsin Naqvi has no knowledge of the sport. How a sport should be played, how one should behave. There were so many people from the Indian team who were standing on the dais afterwards. He should have told someone else to give the trophy to the Indian team. The PCB chief has destroyed his and his country’s reputation,” Madan Lal said.
He also mocked Naqvi’s suggestion that Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav should collect the trophy from the ACC office, remarking, “Why should Suryakumar Yadav go to the Asian Cricket Council office to collect the trophy? India won, you should have let them celebrate with the trophy on the ground. But of course, he does not have any knowledge, in their country everything is decided by the armed forces.”
Trophy row underscores deepening cricket tensions
The trophy fiasco came against a backdrop of heightened political strain. Earlier in the tournament, India and Pakistan clashed over handshake protocols and other flashpoints, with the PCB filing complaints to the ICC. The Asia Cup final marked India’s third victory over Pakistan in the tournament.
While Pakistan moves ahead with honouring Naqvi for what many at home see as a stand of “principle,” Indian officials are reportedly considering a formal complaint against him at the next ICC meeting. For now, the Asia Cup trophy itself remains with the UAE cricket board, even as both sides continue trading barbs over the incident.
