Malik defends Naqvi, slams India for refusing to accept Asia Cup trophy from PCB chief: 'This will haunt them'

India’s cold shoulder towards Pakistan in the Asia Cup has not gone down well with former as well as current Pakistani cricketers slamming the Men in Blue for refusing to shake hands with their opponents in each of their three meetings.

And on Sunday after India pulled off a thrilling five-wicket victory, Suryakumar Yadav and his men refused to accept the trophy as well as winners' medals in protest against Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be the president of the Asian Cricket Council and had recently courted controversy for his inflammatory social media posts.

Malik criticises India for missing out on ‘massive moment’

Former Pakistan captain and all-rounder Shoaib Malik was among those who came to Naqvi’s support amid the controversy over the Asia Cup trophy presentation, which concluded with the Indian team conducting a mock celebration after the PCB chief stormed off the ground, with the Asia Cup trophy leaving the ground along with him.

“Just look at how much pressure the players went through, how much heat they endured, how much hard work they put in. For what? To win the trophy, to win the tournament,” Malik, who had led Pakistan to the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup, said on the Game On Hai show on PTV Sports.

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“And then, when they worked so hard, they didn’t even come to take the trophy. You see, today they may be celebrating this decision in their own way, but down the line, after a few years, this will haunt them. We won the trophy, we worked so hard, but we never collected it.

“At the end of the day, they are athletes, they are sportsmen. A sportsman’s job is to come onto the field, give your best shot, and that’s it. This was such a massive achievement, such a close match, and not collecting the trophy-it means missing out on the moment. It was a massive moment,” he added.

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The latest standoff between India and Pakistan in the cricketing arena refuses to die down, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking Naqvi – who also happens to be the Interior Minister of Pakistan – to deliver the silverware to the ACC Office.

Naqvi, meanwhile, has reportedly made it clear that the Indian team will get their trophy as well as medals – so long as there is an official function, and he is the one handing it over to the Men in Blue.