INDIA's women's cricket team refused to collect the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday, leaving the presentation ceremony to end in disarray despite the team winning a record-extending eighth continental title.
India hammered Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the T20 final in Dubai, but Harmanpreet Kaur's side skipped the trophy presentation altogether, repeating the stance taken by India's men's team last year.
On both occasions, the trophy was supposed to have been handed over by Naqvi in his role as head of the Asian Cricket Council. Naqvi is also Pakistan's interior minister and head of the country's cricket board — a combination of roles that has placed him at the centre of both snubs.
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The stand-off unfolded against a backdrop of long-running tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan. A year on from beating Pakistan in the final, the men's side have still not collected their trophy.
Sunday's ceremony was delayed by nearly 50 minutes before it descended further, with Naqvi distributing medals only to the runners-up before the event ended abruptly.
India's players were left to present medals to themselves, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla looking on from the ground.
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"That stand has been taken by BCCI (Indian cricket board), and we stand by it," Indian women's coach Amol Muzumdar told reporters, defending the decision to snub the presentation. "We are the champions, that's good enough."
