Sports
Pakistan’s absence from Champions Trophy presentation ceremony raises eyebrows – Pakistan
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials’ absence from the Champions Trophy 2025 final’s presentation ceremony on Sunday has drawn criticism from the country’s former senior players of the game.
India beat New Zealand in the final in Dubai, with the Men in Blue playing all their matches at the same venue after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan for the eight-nation event for unspecified reasons. Lahore was the alternate venue for the final had India missed out on qualifying for it.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi was conspicuous by his absence from the occasion. Instead, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Binny presented jackets to the Indian players. Even Tournament Director Sumair Ahmed Syed was not on stage for the presentation ceremony, making it seem like a complete family affair for team India.
Speaking on the topic on the Ten Sports programme ‘The DP World Dressing Room’, former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram said,“ We [Pakistan] were the hosts, weren’t we?
“Then the chief operating officer or whoever was representing the PCB chairman, why were they absent from the stage during the ceremony? Were they not invited? it definitely looked odd to me sitting here as well.”
Wasim earlier said that as per his knowledge, the PCB chairman could not attend the final due to being ill and was represented by PCB COO Sumair Ahmad Syed and Director International Cricket Usman Wahla instead.
“A Pakistani should have been on the stage, even if they didn’t hand over the cup or medals, in my opinion,” he added.
Former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar speaking on the topic on his YouTube channel said, “This is a weird thing that I saw [in the final], that no PCB representative was there [at the presentation ceremony].
“Pakistan were the hosts, and there was no official representative there, this is beyond my understanding. Why didn’t anyone come to represent and give the trophy?”
“This was the world stage and you should have been there, this [tournament] was hosted by us yet there was nobody there. Think about it, been very discouraging to see that,” he said.
PCB Chairman Naqvi in a post on X on Monday congratulated the collective efforts of everyone who made it possible to stage the event in the country.
“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 all the phenomenal participating cricket teams that traveled to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025,” he stated.
He, however, did not address PCB officials’ absence from the podium at the Champions Trophy final presentation ceremony.
When reached out, the PCB declined to comment on the matter, but reports suggest that the board will be taking up the matter of COO Sumair — not being invited to stage of the presentation ceremony despite being present at the stadium for the final — with the ICC.
The politics of the sport hang over India’s triumph in the Champions Trophy as India remains the sport’s biggest financier and its hold over the International Cricket Council (ICC) is unyielding. As such, the global body had to accept its demands of shifting its matches away from Pakistan — including the final, if it was to qualify.
After the BJP came to power in 2014, the cricketing relations between Pakistan and India became strained with the latter refusing to send their cricket teams to the neighbouring country while the former played on Indian soil in the ICC-managed global events including the 2023 ODI World Cup.
As the BJP government maintained its stubborn stance of refusing to send its cricketers to Pakistan for the February 19-March 9 Champions Trophy, the event became increasingly uncertain. Eventually, a two-way hybrid model was reached between the PCB and the BCCI according to which both the countries will play their matches in future ICC events — up to 2027 — on neutral venues.
Interestingly, India, which has not played any bilateral series with Pakistan since the 2013 limited-overs series, has faced their arch-rivals in all ICC events at different venues in the cricketing world.
The tournament’s tangled schedule, with teams flying in and out of the UAE from Pakistan while India has stayed put, has been hugely controversial.
India’s advantage of playing at just one venue was criticised by the cricketing fraternity, which included both current and former cricketers.
South Africa batter David Miller said “it was not an ideal situation” for his team to fly in to Dubai to wait on India’s semi-final opponent and then fly back to Lahore in less than 24 hours.
His teammate Van der Dussen had said the arrangements were undoubtedly advantageous to the Indian team. “If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it’s definitely an advantage,” he had added.
Even nominal hosts Pakistan had to jump on a jet and fly to Dubai to play India, rather than face them on home soil. The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries. Pakistan tracks produced big totals, in contrast to the slow and turning decks of the Dubai stadium.
Pakistan continued their streak of failing to reach the upper echelons of cricketing glory as the Green Shirts were absent from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Team of the Tournament unveiled by the global governing body on Monday for the Champions Trophy.
India mounted a successful chase of a doable 252-run target against New Zealand on Sunday to win the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai, marking their third title of the tournament.
They remained unbeaten after playing all their matches in Dubai owing to a ‘hybrid’ compromise reached after India refused to tour Pakistan for the eight-member tournament.
Pakistan, on the other hand, finished at the bottom of the group phase after losing to New Zealand and India, while their final group match with Bangladesh was washed out as rain ensured the host country’s title defence ended with a wet whimper.
The ICC unveiled its Team of the Tournament today, featuring six players from India, four from New Zealand, and two from Champions Trophy debutant Afghanistan.
Aside from Pakistan, ICC’s Team of the Tournament did not have players from semi-finalists South Africa and Australia, nor from Bangladesh and England.
Indian representation on ICC’s dream team came in the form of top-order star Virat Kohli, veteran Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and wicketkeeper KL Rahul, who was “reliable behind the stumps and a clutch performer in his role as India’s finisher with the bat.”
From the New Zealand side, it was a no-brainer that Player of the Tournament Rachin Ravindra would be on the list. He was joined by all-rounder Glenn Phillips, skipper Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry, who suffered a shoulder injury while taking a catch in the deep in the semi-final against South Africa.
Opener Ibrahim Zadran and all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai represented Afghanistan in ICC’s Team of the Tournament.
Team of the Tournament:
1. Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
Ravindra went big in two of New Zealand’s Champions Trophy games while also finding ways to contribute as a spin bowler, winning the Player of the Tournament award for his “all-round excellence”.
2. Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan)
The opener proved how crucial he was to Afghanistan’s competitiveness, steering his team to a famous win over England by scoring a mega 177 in the first innings, which is now the highest-ever individual score in the competition’s history.
3. Virat Kohli (India)
“He’s called King Kohli for a reason” the ICC said of India’s top-order star who produced two impressive knocks, including an 84 in the semi-final against Australia.
He confirms that even at 36, he’s still at the peak of his powers in the format. During the Champions Trophy, Kohli also crossed the landmark of 14,000 ODI runs, becoming just the third player after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara to do so.
4. Shreyas Iyer (India)
Solid as a rock in India’s middle order. From India’s last four tournament matches, Shreyas’ lowest batting return was 45 runs, proving to be a pillar of consistency in trying batting conditions in Dubai.
5. KL Rahul (wk) (India)
From four innings, the wicketkeeper finished unbeaten on three occasions. He was particularly crucial during India’s chases in the all-important knockout games, scoring unbeaten 42* and 34* against Australia and New Zealand respectively.
6. Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
The all-rounder not only showed glimpses of why he’s one of the most dangerous batters in the world but displayed exceptional fielding prowess for the Kiwis, taking three absolute stunners during the tournament, including a mindboggling catch against Virat Kohli in the final group game against India.
7. Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)
The middle-order batting production was there for all to see, while Omarzai’s bowling was also effective. His 5/58 against England proved match-winning as the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2024 lived up to his billing.
8. Mitchell Santner (c) (New Zealand)
Santner’s captaincy and bowling were equal parts world-class, right way through New Zealand’s impressive campaign that saw them finish as runner-ups.
9. Mohammed Shami (India)
Reliable and consistent, Shami returned to the side in style, with 5/53 against Bangladesh in the opening group game. He also contributed in the semifinals and finals, picking four wickets in the last two contests.
10. Matt Henry (New Zealand)
It was a great loss to the tournament that its leading wicket-taker did not get the opportunity to grace the final due to injury. Henry was superb throughout the tournament, taking wickets in every match, most notably 5/42 against India in the Group A decider.
11. Varun Chakaravarthy (India)
Having only played in one previous ODI before the Champions Trophy, the 33-year-old repaid selectors’ faith in spades, producing nine wickets in three high-stakes affairs.
12. Axar Patel (India)
“Such a useful player to have around,” the ICC said of Axar, who contributed with the ball, taking five wickets, and with the bat, putting in a total of 109 runs, including 29 in the final. He was no slouch in the field, either, with two fine catches to his name.
“Some people will naturally think that the governing body is bending over backwards to accommodate India,” says cricket writer Nicholas Brookes.
Geopolitical reality, a lack of buzz in host nation Pakistan and mediocre cricket in general meant the Champions Trophy’s much-anticipated return to the calendar did not go according to plan for the governing International Cricket Council (ICC).
The one-day international (ODI) tournament served as an ICC fundraiser but offered no assurance about the future of a format battling for relevance in a cricket landscape ruled by Twenty20 leagues either.
Financial engine India’s participation, a key factor behind the commercial success of any cricket tournament, was in doubt after Pakistan bagged the hosting rights for the first ICC event in the country since 1996.
The Indian board stuck to their policy of not touring Pakistan because of the strained political ties between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in ICC events.
Like the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan, a “hybrid model” was agreed on under which India were allowed to play their matches in Dubai to salvage a tournament, which had been discontinued after the 2017 edition.
Under the agreement, running until 2027, Pakistan will play in a neutral venue for any ICC event, including next year’s Twenty20 World Cup, scheduled in India. Reigning T20 world champions India beat New Zealand in Sunday’s final to prove their credentials as a white-ball behemoth.
India have lost just one match — the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 — in their last three ICC events and probably did not require what many called an “unfair advantage” of playing all their matches in Dubai.
“I feel sorry for India’s cricketers,” award-winning cricket writer Nicholas Brookes told Reuters.
“They are an outstanding team in my mind, streets ahead of their competition regardless of conditions, and one of the greatest white-ball sides the game has seen.
“This tournament should have been their victory lap, but their brilliance has been somewhat overshadowed by constant questions about unfair advantages.”
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches. South Africa were made to take a farcical 18-hour trip to Dubai in anticipation of a semi-final against India before flying back to Pakistan to face New Zealand.
‘Bending over backwards’
The whole affair made the ICC, currently headed by former Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jay Shah, look weak in front of the world’s richest cricket board. The scheduling also favoured India, who had a week’s rest between their last two group matches, while Afghanistan played twice in three days.
“That looks like the ICC putting finances ahead of fairness,” said Brookes, whose An Island’s Eleven charts the history of Sri Lankan cricket and won the Wisden Book Of The Year award in 2023. “Some people will naturally think that the governing body is bending over backwards to accommodate India.”
Defending champions Pakistan looked under-prepared for the tournament, both on and off the field. An eleventh-hour facelift to stadiums in Karachi and Lahore, sparse crowds and three washouts dampened the spirit among locals.
Adding to their woes, Mohammed Rizwan and his men finished bottom of Group A after a winless campaign that included a defeat by arch-rivals India.
An injury-ravaged Australia fielded a second-string pace attack with Steve Smith, who quit ODIs after their semi-final exit, leading them in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins.
New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra bagged the player-of-the-tournament prize, while fellow Black Cap Glenn Phillips redefined fielding with gravity-defying catches, and India’s Virat Kohli proved he is not a spent force yet, but the cricket was largely mediocre.
Afghanistan could not make the last four but impressed on their Champions Trophy debut while former champions England are searching for a new captain after their winless campaign prompted Jos Buttler to step down.
Header image: A person rides on a motorbike past a wall with a billboard advertisement ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament, in Karachi on Feb 13. — Reuters
India captain Rohit Sharma has no plans to quit the 50-overs format anytime soon, the opener said after guiding the team to the Champions Trophy title in Dubai.
Rohit quit Twenty20 Internationals immediately after leading India to their second 20-overs World Cup title in West Indies last year.
Speculation was rife that the opener, who turns 38 next month, might do likewise after India beat New Zealand in the 50-overs final on Sunday.
Though not asked about retirement plans, Rohit headed off speculation by ending his post-match press conference saying, “One more thing, I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward.”
Sunday’s win marked India’s second successive title in a global tournament organised by the International Cricket Council.
Under Rohit, India have lost just one match — the final of the home 50-overs World Cup in 2023 to Australia — in their last three ICC events.
Like in the T20 World Cup last year, India were unbeaten throughout the tournament and Rohit saved his best for the final when he smashed a match-winning 76 in a low-scoring contest.
“I know how important it is to score runs in the powerplay, because we saw in all five games that after 10 overs, it becomes very difficult (to score) when the field spreads and spinners come in,” India’s test and one-day international captain said.
“It becomes a little tough because the pitch is already slow and we’re batting second.”
Rohit, who scored a record five hundreds in a single ODI World Cup in 2019 — even though India crashed out in the semi-finals — said team success gave him more joy than personal milestones.
“I contributed a lot in the 2019 World Cup, but we didn’t win. It wasn’t fun.
“Even if you score 30-40 runs and win the match, you get more satisfaction and happiness.”
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