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Shoaib Akhtar slams PCB for absence of their representative in CT2025 final presentation ceremony (File Photo: X) Photograph: (X/Internet )
India lifted the historic title of the Champions Trophy 2025, defeating New Zealand in the tournament’s final at the DICS in Dubai on March 9. But what attracted the eyeballs and raised eyebrows was the absence of PCB representatives during the presentation ceremony after India clinched the title as Pakistan were the official host of the prestigious cricket quadrennial.
In the same line of events, former legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar came up with a blunt statement while lashing out at the Pakistan Cricket Board for not sending even a single representative in the final presentation of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Shoaib Akhtar questioned PCB’s stance and expressed his shock after not seeing the presence of even an individual from the PCB at the global stage like Champions Trophy final ceremony.
“India won the ICC Champions Trophy, and I saw a weird thing that no representative from Pakistan Cricket Board was present in Dubai despite the fact that they are the hosts,” said Shoaib Akhtar in a video post he shared on his official X handle (formerly Twitter).
“Why no one came to represent Pakistan is beyond my understanding. Someone should have been here on the world stage but I did not see anyone,” he added later.
Here’s what Shoaib Akhtar said:
This is literally beyond my understanding.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) March 9, 2025
How can this be done???#championstrophy2025pic.twitter.com/CPIUgevFj9
Apart from Shoaib Akhtar, the absence of a PCB representative raised a lot of questions and concerns about the approach of the official hosts of the tournament. A lot of former cricketers, including the former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif, spoke about the same and questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board and other administrators for not having the presence of any individual from the cricket board that hosted the tournament.
Notably, the matches of the Indian team were scheduled outside Pakistan in Dubai, as BCCI didn’t send India to Pakistan for the tournament. It was also the reason that the tournament’s final was played outside Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.