NEW DELHI: The Asia Cup trophy controversy took a fresh twist on Friday as former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf threw his weight behind Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who has been at the centre of the storm since India refused to accept the trophy from him after the final in Dubai.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The episode unfolded after Naqvi walked away with the Asia Cup trophy following Pakistan’s defeat in the summit clash, leaving the Indian team without the trophy and winners’ medals. India’s refusal to accept the trophy from Naqvi — Pakistan’s interior minister known for his anti-India political stance — has since sparked a heated debate across the cricketing world.Naqvi recently doubled down on his position, saying he is still ready to hand the trophy to India, but only if they visit the ACC office to collect it. Supporting this stance, Yousuf said on Samaa TV: “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.”
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Should India have accepted the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi immediately after the final?
The former Pakistan batter was scathing in his criticism of the Indian players, accusing them of focusing more on theatrics than the sport itself.“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 cricket, not movies. In movies, there are retakes, but here you are playing a genuine sport,” Yousuf said.He also stressed that Naqvi’s stand was not personal but about national pride: “Whatever he is doing for the respect of Pakistan, he is doing right, and we are with him.”With both boards refusing to back down, the Asia Cup trophy controversy shows no signs of fading anytime soon.
