Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has echoed Shoaib Akhtar’s criticism over the exclusion of a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official from the stage during the Champions Trophy closing ceremony in Dubai.
Speaking on the Dressing Room show after the match, the former pacer said: "As far as I know, Chairman Saab (Mohsin Naqvi) wasn’t well, but the PCB sent Sumair Ahmad Syed (Chief Operating Officer) and Usman Wahla (Director of International) as representatives. Yet, no one was on the stage," Akram noted.
"We were the host, weren’t we? How come even the COO of PCB or whoever was representing Chairman Saab was not on stage? Were they not invited? I don’t know the story, but it definitely looked odd to me. Pakistan should have had representation in any form," he added.
Earlier, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar highlighted the absence of a PCB representative during the post-match presentation, questioning why no official from the host nation was present to hand over the trophy.
"India has won the Champions Trophy, but I noticed there was no representative from the PCB after the final. Pakistan was hosting the tournament. I do not understand it. Why was nobody (from PCB) there to present the trophy? It is beyond me. This is the world stage—you should have been there. It feels really bad to see that," Akhtar said in a video posted on X, which has since garnered over 1.5 million views.
The issue has triggered a wave of reactions online, with some netizens calling the absence of the PCB disappointing given they were the host, while others have found wry humor in the snub.
According to PTI, a source confirmed that PCB’s chief executive officer Sumair Ahmed, who was also the tournament director, was present at the Dubai International Stadium for the final between India and New Zealand.
He was deputed to attend the event in place of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was unavailable due to his commitments as Pakistan’s federal minister for interior.
But Sumair Ahmed was not invited to join the ceremony, where ICC chairman Jay Shah, along with BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Devajit Sakia, handed out medals, trophies, and jackets to players.
A source close to the PCB suggested the exclusion could have been a "misunderstanding" on the ICC’s part, possibly due to a lack of clear communication from the PCB’s side regarding its official representation at the event.
The PCB has taken note of the incident and is expected to raise the matter with the ICC.
Pakistan’s absence from the podium is significant given the historic nature of the 2025 Champions Trophy. It marked Pakistan's first time hosting an ICC tournament in 29 years, albeit under a hybrid model where five out of 15 matches, including the final, were played in Dubai.
