Moments after India soaked in the pressure of a tense final to beat Pakistan by five wickets and seal their ninth Asia Cup crown, the spotlight shifted to the delayed presentation ceremony — and the drama that unfolded there. The Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.

The reason behind the delay was not immediately clear, though speculation grew that India did not wish to receive the silverware from Naqvi. A day earlier, the ACC had confirmed on its website that Naqvi would present the trophy to the winners.

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The chaos deepened when, before the ceremony finally began, an ACC official suddenly lifted the Asia Cup trophy from its s

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