Mohsin Naqvi lauded by Pakistan cricket great for taking away Asia Cup trophy, slams Indian players: ‘He has taken correct stand’

Legendary Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf, who recently created controversy by making derogatory remarks against India captain Suryakumar Yadav, feels Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi did the right thing by taking away the Asia Cup 2025 trophy after facing a boycott by the Men In Blue.

India won the Asia Cup 2025 by beating Pakistan in the final by five wickets, but they refused to collect the trophy from Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). As Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Naqvi has constantly been making anti-India remarks. Indian players did not want to take the trophy from him in a tournament that was played just a few months after the Pahalgam terror attack.

The presentation ceremony after the Asia Cup final was delayed by an hour and even when it started, Indian players did not come onto the stage to collect the silverware, forcing an embarrassed Naqvi to leave the pitch. In his anger, the politician also took the trophy away to his hotel and has since declined to return it.

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Naqvi faced intense criticism from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an ACC meeting over the missing trophy, but refused to relent. He wants the Indian team to collect the trophy from him at the ACC office in Dubai.

‘India should have taken trophy from Naqvi’

Amid the whole drama, former batter Yousuf, who recently called Suryakumar a pig, has supported Naqvi’s actions. He said that Naqvi had the right to honour Team India as ACC president, and by not taking the tournament, the Indian players made a mistake.

“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,” Yousuf told Pakistani channel Samaa TV.

“You didn’t take it at that moment, so what’s the hurry now? You should have gone and collected it from his office if you remembered that you had to take the trophy. At the ground, you were busy making your films. I said it that day too — they are not coming out of the filmy world.

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Yousuf added that cricket is not like movies where there will be multiple takes, suggesting a chance gone may not come back.

“This is sports, this is cricket; movies won’t be playing here. In movies, there are retakes and all, but becoming a hero in movies is a different thing. You are playing a genuine sport here, and now you are saying you want the trophy.”