Final of ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025: Naqvi to approach ICC over provocation allegations by Indian players

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday announced plans to approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) over allegations of provocation by Indian players during the final of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India by a commanding 191-run margin in the highly anticipated final at the ICC Academy on Sunday.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in honour of the Asian Under-19 champion team, Naqvi condemned the actions of Indian players, stating: “Indian players repeatedly provoked our players during the U-19 Asia Cup final.”

“We will be informing the ICC about the incident,” he said, emphasising that sport and politics should remain separate.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, mentor of Pakistan’s U-19 team and former national captain, also weighed in on the controversy, calling India’s conduct during the final “unethical.”

“India’s behaviour was not appropriate, and their actions on the field were unethical,” he said.

“However, we celebrated our victory with sportsmanship, as cricket should always be about fair play.”

Cricketing relations between the two nations have been strained due to ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025