Islamabad, Mar 10 2025: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has clarified concerns regarding the absence of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials from the Champions Trophy 2025 final ceremony in Dubai.
The response followed an inquiry by Geo News, prompting an ICC spokesperson to explain that Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB Chairman and the official representative of the host board, had been invited but did not attend.
The spokesperson confirmed that Naqvi had been unavailable and did not travel to Dubai for the final.
Addressing criticism over the lack of Pakistani representation on stage, the ICC reiterated its long-standing protocols for awards ceremonies.
According to the spokesperson, only the head of the host board, such as the president, vice president, chairman, or CEO, is invited to participate in the ceremony, while other board officials, even if present at the venue, are not included in the stage proceedings.
The ICC emphasized that this policy is consistently followed in all its tournaments and is not exclusive to the Champions Trophy.
Sources have indicated that the PCB intends to raise the matter formally with the ICC, questioning why its CEO, Sameer Ahmed Syed, was not invited to the ceremony despite being in Dubai as the tournament director.
A source described the situation as concerning, stating that Pakistan was not given representation at the closing ceremony despite the presence of a senior PCB official.
The Champions Trophy final was hosted in Dubai after India’s matches were relocated from Pakistan due to the Indian government’s decision not to send its cricket team to the country.
