ICC will not give official clarification to pcb: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unlikely to get any ‘official clarification’ from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on alleged neglect during the closing ceremony of the Champions Trophy in Dubai. India won the Champions Trophy tournament for the third time by defeating New Zealand by four wickets in the title match on Sunday. The dispute began when PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Champions Trophy tournament director Sumair Ahmed was not called on the stage for the award distribution ceremony of the final match.
A PCB official said on Tuesday, “We have filed a formal complaint before the ICC because whatever happened is not acceptable to us.” However, according to ICC sources, PCB will not be given any formal explanation.
The ICC source said, “If you see PCB officials, ICC Chief Executive Officer Geoff Alladis was also not present on the stage. The reason for this is the protocol.” The source said, “Sumair Ahmed is an employee of PCB, not an officer. Please also see when the tournament director was on stage for presentation?”
A source in the ICC said, “We can give an example. Gaurav Saxena, the new chief of the operation and communication of the ICC, was once a tournament director of the Asia Cup in Dubai. Was he present on the stage for the closing ceremony.” The Cricket Board of India (BCCI) President Roger Binny gave the Indian players a medal to the white jacket and match officials while ICC President Jai Shah handed over the trophy to captain Rohit Sharma and gave medals to the winners.
BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia and New Zealand Cricket CEO Roger Twose were also present on the stage. The PCB official said, “The reasons that are being given to not call our COO and tournament director on stage for the presentation after the final match, do not matter to us. We are waiting for formal clarification or apology.” The official said, “We are shocked by this gross neglect towards the role of Pakistan as the host country.”
He said that the PCB had already informed the ICC about the presence of Sumair Ahmed in Dubai for the award distribution ceremony and he met Jai Shah and some BCCI officials and congratulated him after India’s victory.
The official said, “To clarify that the ICC only invites the CEO, Chairman, Vice President or Secretaries to the ceremony, it is absolutely irrational.” He said, “We want a complete public explanation and assurance that such a partial and unjust behavior will not be again or we will put the matter before the Operations Board.”
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