The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking clarification from the ICC about why their tournament director, Sumair Ahmed, was not part of the presentation ceremony after the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday. Ahmed, who also serves as the PCB’s chief operating officer, was present in Dubai for the final as the tournament director and Pakistan’s representative.
Following India’s victory over New Zealand in the final, the presentation ceremony included four officials: the ICC chair, Jay Shah, two representatives from the BCCI, and one from New Zealand Cricket. Notably absent was any official from the PCB, despite Pakistan being the host nation for the Champions Trophy. Besides Shah, the officials present were BCCI president Roger Binny, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, and NZC director Roger Twose. Typically, post-tournament ICC ceremonies do not include representatives from nations playing in the final, unless the host country is involved.
ESPNcricinfo sources suggest the PCB was surprised by the inclusion of Saikia, considering another BCCI official, Binny, was already present. However, the main point of contention for the PCB is the exclusion of a representative from the host nation. It is common practice for host nation representatives to participate in trophy presentations. While PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was initially scheduled to attend, the PCB stated he was ill and unable to travel to Dubai. They anticipated Sumair Ahmed would take his place as Pakistan’s representative.
Although the PCB reportedly did not formally inform the ICC about Sumair Ahmed substituting for Naqvi, the Pakistan board believes it was the ICC’s responsibility to inquire about a replacement. The PCB is upset that no ICC representative contacted them at any point during the final to discuss arrangements for Pakistani representation at the post-match ceremony.
A PCB official stated that they are yet to receive a response or explanation from the ICC. ESPNcricinfo has also reached out to the ICC for their comments.
Dubai hosted the final as part of an agreement between the PCB and BCCI. Initially, Naqvi insisted that the entire tournament, Pakistan’s first ICC event since 1996, should be held in Pakistan. However, the BCCI cited the Indian government’s refusal to allow the team to travel to Pakistan. Consequently, the two boards agreed that India would play all its matches in Dubai. Future ICC events co-hosted by the two nations over the next three years will follow a similar arrangement, with the non-hosting nation playing at a neutral venue.
This marks the third instance during this tournament where the PCB has sought clarification from the ICC regarding incidents they perceive as undermining Pakistan’s role as the official host of the Champions Trophy. In an earlier match between India and Bangladesh in Dubai, Pakistan’s name was omitted from the official broadcast logo. Subsequently, at a match between Australia and England in Lahore, the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played instead of the Australian anthem. The PCB held the ICC accountable for these incidents, as the anthem playlist was produced and distributed by the governing body, and the ICC was responsible for playing the anthems before matches. The ICC attributed the logo omission to an error and apologized for the anthem mix-up, blaming it on a DJ mistake.
