The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finally intervened, albeit in a modest way, to escalate the current crisis between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asia Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi. A significant meeting was conducted in Dubai on Friday, November 7 to discuss a multitude of cricket-related issues, among them the matter of the trophy for the Asia Cup 2025. It happened after Naqvi ate a humble pie by being forced to give away the winners trophy as the Indian team refused to accept it from him following India’s win over Pakistan in the final clash.
The BCCI, reportedly, raised the issue at the meeting that Naqvi was yet to return the Asia Cup trophy. While the majority of ICC members accept that amicable relations between India and Pakistan are of paramount importance to sustain world cricket, there is recognition that clauses for bilateral series need to be drawn up to pre-empt acrimony expressed in the wake of this year’s 50-over World Cup. This is why the Special committee has to be appointed so that such a trpohy can be given t o the Indian team soon and symbolically end this dual of words.
The issue of the challenge trophy was not on the formal agenda for discussion but formed one of the central themes of informal exchanges among members. Since it was an ad hoc issue, no formal minutes were prepared. The primary agenda included topics such as the Women’s World Cup expansion, cricket in the Olympics and Mithali Raj’s inclusion in ICC’s Women Cricket Committee among other things.
ICC Addresses Asia Cup Trophy Row, Expands 2029 Women’s World Cup Format
The Asia Cup stand-off had been building since the final, when Suryakumar Yadav’s team refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. The BCCI earlier sent an official complaint to the ICC seeking a resolution to the matter, with India being given the Test mace “formally” after handing over of the trophy. To date, however, no meaningful action had been taken to correct it — until the Dubai meeting.
Aside from the Asia Cup issue, the ICC also used today to rubber-stamp an expansion of the next Women’s World Cup in 2029 to feature a greater number of teams and multiple venues. The council also provided perspective on the global game around the 2025 Women’s World Cup, record-breaking stadium attendance numbers and digital viewership records, as fans flocked to engage in women’s cricket.
“The ICC Board, keen to build on the success of the event, agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (from 8 teams in 2025). Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia, breaking the record for tournament attendance at any women’s cricket event. The tournament also witnessed viewership growth and new records being set for on-screen audiences across the world, with nearly 500 million viewers in India,” stated a press release from the ICC.
