The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally asked the ICC for an explanation after Champions Trophy tournament director Sumair Ahmed was not included in the post-final presentation ceremony in Dubai. Sumair, who also serves as the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, attended the final as both the tournament director and Pakistan’s representative, as Pakistan was the official host of the tournament.

Following India’s victory over New Zealand, four officials participated in the trophy presentation: ICC Chair Jay Shah, BCCI President Roger Binny, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Director Roger Twose. Notably, no PCB official was present. Traditionally, representatives from the teams playing in the final do not feature in ICC presentation ceremonies unless the host nation is involved. However, host nation officials are typically included, making the absence of a PCB representative particularly surprising.

PCB Questions Exclusion from Ceremony

The PCB was especially perplexed by Saikia’s presence, given that one BCCI representative—Binny—was already on stage. However, their primary grievance was the exclusion of their own representative from the ceremony. Initially, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was expected to participate, but the board later stated that he was unwell and unable to travel to Dubai. The PCB anticipated that Sumair Ahmed would take his place.

While the PCB did not explicitly inform the ICC that Sumair would be standing in for Naqvi, they believe it was the ICC’s responsibility to reach out and confirm a replacement. The board is particularly aggrieved that no ICC official contacted them at any point before or during the final to discuss Pakistan’s representation on the podium.

A PCB official confirmed that the ICC has yet to respond to their concerns, and ESPNcricinfo has also sought a comment from the global cricketing body.

Tensions Over Hosting Arrangements

The final was held in Dubai as part of a compromise between the PCB and BCCI. Initially, Naqvi insisted that the entire tournament—Pakistan’s first ICC event as host since 1996—should be staged in Pakistan. However, the BCCI cited the Indian government’s refusal to allow their team to travel to Pakistan. As a result, an agreement was reached where India played all their matches in Dubai, with a similar arrangement set for future ICC events hosted by either board over the next three years.

This is the third time during the tournament that the PCB has raised concerns with the ICC regarding incidents they believe undermined their role as official hosts.

• Logo Omission: During India’s match against Bangladesh in Dubai, Pakistan’s name was missing from the tournament logo on the official broadcast.
• Anthem Mix-Up: Before Australia’s match against England in Lahore, the Indian national anthem mistakenly played instead of the Australian anthem. The PCB blamed the ICC, which was responsible for the anthem playlist. The ICC later attributed the incident to a DJ error and expressed its regrets.

The PCB now awaits the ICC’s response regarding their absence from the Champions Trophy final’s closing ceremony, as tensions between the board and the global governing body continue to simmer.