Pakistan cricket icons Wasim Akram and Shaib Akhtar expressed concerns over the absence of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final presentation ceremony, questioning why no representative from the host nation was present on stage.
Despite Pakistan being the official host of the tournament, there was no PCB official at the post-match ceremony, where India defeated New Zealand to win their third Champions Trophy title.
The absence has sparked debate within cricketing circles, with Akram among those seeking answers.
Akram: "It looked odd"
Speaking during a post-match program, Akram expressed surprise at the situation, stating that, to his knowledge, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was unable to attend due to illness and was represented by PCB COO Sumair Ahmed and Director International Cricket Usman Wahla at the event.
"We [Pakistan] were the hosts, weren’t we?" Akram questioned.
"Then the chief operating officer or whoever was representing the PCB chairman—why were they absent from the stage during the ceremony? Were they not invited? It definitely looked odd to me sitting here as well," he added.
In a video posted on social media, Shoaib Akhtar expressed his surprise over the absence of a PCB representative during the presentation ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The absence of PCB officials has already triggered a fresh controversy, with reports suggesting that the board plans to formally raise the issue with the ICC.
Sources indicated that PCB COO Sumair Ahmed, who was present in Dubai as the tournament director, was not invited onto the stage, despite being Pakistan’s designated representative.
The incident has further fueled speculation about potential miscommunication between the PCB and ICC organizers, or whether Pakistan’s exclusion from the ceremony was a deliberate move.
The PCB is expected to seek an official clarification from the ICC regarding the matter.
With cricketing legends like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar now speaking out, the controversy surrounding Pakistan’s absence from the closing ceremony is likely to gain further traction in the coming days.