Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal claimed that no representation of his nation deserved to be present at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 presentation event. Many were astonished when, despite being the tournament's hosts, no representative of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was on the podium during the prize distribution ceremony following the final. Additionally, the PCB has complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in an attempt to get an explanation for the dispute.
Kamran Akman on the issue
Kamran Akmal recently expressed his opinions on the subject as well, claiming that the ICC had shown them the mirror. The former wicketkeeper batsman added that nobody from that country should have been there because of Pakistan's terrible cricket team performance.
"The ICC showed us the mirror. The tournament's director (Sumair) was there. He was available, and why wasn't he in the ceremony? It is because we don't deserve to be there. We are not playing good cricket. Minnow teams have shown us the mirror. No one discussed how Pakistan hosted the tournament. If we play such cricket, we will be treated like this. If you play for yourself, there will be no respect,” Akmal said on his Youtube Channel.
The two finalists, India and New Zealand, were given their awards during the ceremony by BCCI president Roger Binny, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, ICC chairman Jay Shah, and CEO of New Zealand Cricket Roger Twose. Sumair Ahmed, the PCB's chief operational officer and the Champions Trophy event director, was on hand at the location.
The Pakistan Board, however, was displeased that he was not asked to take the stage for the post-match celebration and in a video that was shared on social media immediately following the final, former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also expressed his worry about the controversy.
Prior to the Champions Trophy, PCB was not pleased with India's denial to travel to Pakistan for the event because of the two nations' tense political ties. After the two boards decided not to visit each other's nations for ICC events until 2027, they were forced to settle on a hybrid model. India consequently played all of its games in Dubai, which caused a disruption to the teams' travel plans prior to the semi-finals.
Pakistan hosted the Champions Trophy 2025 for the first time since the World Cup in 1996. The tournament had its share of issues, which marred Pakistan's successful hosting despite the PCB's preparations.