ISLAMABAD: Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi on Monday criticised India for “dragging war” into sport, calling it a sign of “desperation.” His remarks came in response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who politicised India’s victory over Pakistan in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final.
In a post on X, Modi likened the win to a military operation, stating: “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”
Naqvi responded sharply, saying: “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands,” and added that “no cricket match can rewrite that truth.” He stated that invoking war in sport “only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game.”
If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game https://t.co/lqiUATm3wX
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) September 29, 2025
Tensions had already escalated when the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi during the post-match presentation. Host Simon Doull announced: “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight.”
Donating match fees
Separately, the PCB announced it would donate the Pakistan team’s match fees to victims of India’s May 7 attack. This followed Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav pledging his fee to Indian victims of the same conflict.
The Pakistan Cricket Team has dedicated its Asia Cup final match fees to the innocent victims martyred in the May 7 attack, in which civilians, including children, lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 28, 2025
“The Pakistan Cricket Team has dedicated its Asia Cup final match fees to the innocent victims martyred in the May 7 attack… Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” the PCB posted on X.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha criticised India’s behaviour, saying: “If they think they disrespected us by not shaking hands, then I say they disrespected cricket.”
Yadav later claimed: “We took the call on the ground about not taking the trophy.”
