Champions Trophy presentation controversy: Shoaib Akhtar decries lack of Pakistani officials, says ‘feeling very down’

India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by defeating New Zealand in Dubai by four wickets. During the post-match presentation ceremony, ICC officials awarded the Indian players their winners' medals and Champions Trophy white coats. While officials such as BCCI President Roger Binny, ICC Chairman Jay Shah, and others were present, no representative from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the official host nation, attended the ceremony.

Soon after the match, former Pakistan player Shoabi Akhtar pointed out this anomaly in a video posted on X, saying, “India has won the ICC Champions Trophy. There was one odd thing: no one from the Pakistan Cricket Board during the presentation ceremony. Pakistan is the host of the Champions Trophy, but there was no representative of Pakistan who was standing. No one was there to present the trophy. It is beyond me. Think about it. The tournament was hosted by us, but there was nobody there. Feeling very down to see that [sic].”

India's Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai

Although Pakistan were the official host of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the BCCI decided not to send Team India to the neighbouring country for security reasons. Consequently, while Pakistan retained the hosting rights for the tournament, the ICC decided to schedule India's matches in Dubai rather than in Pakistani cities like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Rohit Sharma's men played all five of their matches in Dubai during the Champions Trophy 2025. This move also caused some controversy as critics argued that the Men in Blue got used to playing under the same conditions, while other teams had to travel from Pakistan to Dubai to play them, potentially creating an uneven playing field.

In the end, however, Rohit Sharma proved to be the best captain of the tournament, leading India to a generally dominant with both bat and ball in the final.