Trophy fiasco: 5 ACC Test nations to meet after India's strong protest

The much-awaited decision on the status of the Asia Cup trophy and medallions, which were not presented to the victorious Indian team after the final on Sunday, has been deferred after some drama and a brief walkout, rather, a logout.

The members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who met in Dubai on Tuesday (September 30) afternoon, have left it to the five Test playing nations of the ACC but that decision was arrived at after an exchange among the members, primarily between the Indian and Pakistan sides who debated over the trophy.

Ashish Shelar and Rajeev Shukla, the Indian representatives to the ACC meeting, confronted the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was presiding over the meeting. Shelar and Shukla insisted that a resolution be made over the trophy, which the PCB chief had taken away after the Indian players refused to accept it from his hands at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night.

The meeting then decided that the five Test playing members of the ACC - India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - will meet offline and break the deadlock. The conclave was, in fact, an extension of the July 24 Dhaka AGM which was postponed on India's protest. The two Indian representatives attended the meeting virtually.

The members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) besides PCB will convene a formal meeting among them to find a solution on the issue of trophy about which the BCCI has already vowed to escalate at the ICC level.

The meeting started with an inaugural address by Naqvi who then congratulated Mongolia (for getting membership) and Nepal (on their series win over West Indies). At that juncture Shelar intervened and asked why India also not be congratulated. After he strongly insisted on the formal congratulations for the Indian team on winning the Asia Cup, Naqvi relented and greeted the Indian team.

On the issue of the trophy, the Indian representatives reminded that they will escalate the issue to the ICC, as has already been declared by the BCCI recently. The discussion then went to a point when Shelar logged out in protest. He later rejoined the meeting online after which it was decided that the matter be resolved by the five full members.

There were two other items on the agenda -- election of the vice-president and finalisation of schedule for other ACC events like emerging players, under-19 tournaments. Neither of them was taken up during the meeting.