NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has criticised the Indian cricket team’s decision to not accept the Asia Cup trophy after their five-wicket victory against Pakistan in Sunday’s final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as they objected to receiving it from Asia Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the Pakistan’s interior minister.The Indian team’s refusal came after Naqvi had reposted controversial images on social media platform X, including one titled ‘Final Day’ showing Pakistan cricketers in flight suits with fighter jets in the background, as well as an earlier post featuring Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a crashing plane.
Naqvi took the trophy with him after the Indian team declined to participate in the presentation ceremony following their tournament victory.“Just see how much pressure the players went through to win the Asia Cup. How much heat there was that they played in. They worked so hard. Why did they do all that hard work? To win the Asia Cup trophy, to win the tournament! And after they’ve worked so hard, you don’t even come to take the trophy,” Shoaib Malik said.“It was such a big achievement, and that too after such a close match. It’s a massive moment,” Malik continued in his criticism of the Indian team’s stance.Malik further warned about the potential long-term impact of this decision on the Indian players: “Look, today, they might be celebrating this thing like this. But down the line, after a few years, this will haunt them. They’ll think: ‘We won the trophy, we worked hard’. They are athletes and sportsmen. A sportsman’s job is to come to the ground, give your best shot, and that’s it.”India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav addressed the situation during the post-match media briefing, stating: “I have never seen a champion (team) not getting a trophy. We deserved it. The real trophies are my 14 colleagues and they will stay in my memory.”
