Mohsin Naqvi, the man in the eye of the storm after the recent Asia Cup final, has clapped back at media reports that he had apologised to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Naqvi called media reports about him apologising to the BCCI “fabricated nonsense” and “cheap propaganda”. “Let me make it absolutely clear: I have done nothing wrong and I have never apologised to the BCCI nor will I ever do so,” Naqvi was quoted as tweeting by Pakistan newspaper Dawn. Naqvi's tweets are withheld in India. After India won the Asia Cup final by defeating Pakistan by five wickets - which was the Men in Blue's third victory over their arch-rivals at the tournament - the presentation ceremony was held up by over an hour as the Indian team refused to accept the winners' trophy and their individual medals from Naqvi. The Indian team was displeased by Naqvi's posts on X before the final. He had reportedly shared a post titled ‘Final Day’ in which Pakistan cricketers, including captain Salman Ali Agha and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, are seen wearing flight suits with images of airborne fighter jets in the background. Even earlier during the tournament, Naqvi had posted a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a crashing plane. Naqvi is not just the chief of the Asian Cricket Council, but also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board and is an Interior Minister back in Pakistan. After India refused to accept the trophy from him, the Indians celebrated their triumph at the Asia Cup by lifting an imaginary trophy and posting emojis of trophies on social media. The BCCI had then claimed that Naqvi had taken the trophy and the medals away. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia wrote to ACC asking for the trophy back. Then, at an online meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Wednesday, Saikia exited midway after he failed to get clarity on when India would get the Asia Cup trophy and the players’ medals they won.
