The Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai next week could create an awkward presentation scenario for the BCCI if India go all the way to the final as Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi, in his capacity as the Asian Cricket Council chief, might once again be on the dais to do the honours. Naqvi walked away with the trophy which has still not been handed over to the champions.
The Indian men’s team had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi last year owing to the Pahalgam terror attack and the ensuing military showdown between the two countries.
The women’s continental tournament will be held from August 28 to September 13. Naqvi also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board and is his country’s Interior Minister. The obvious question now is: what happens if Harmanpreet Kaur’s team wins the women’s Asia Cup and Naqvi is on the presentation dais? Will the Indian women’s team follow the precedence set by Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates and decline to receive it from Naqvi? The BCCI’s position on such a situation is not known, leaving open the possibility of an unusual presentation ceremony if India are crowned champions. For now, the focus remains on the tournament itself, with the presentation question becoming relevant only if India qualify for the final and emerge champions. But if Harmanpreet’s team does lift the trophy, the identity of the official handing it over could become an intriguing subplot to the Women’s Asia Cup.
But unlike the men’s Asia Cup, the women’s tournament does not offer the prospect of multiple India-Pakistan meetings before the final.
