ICC issues statement after PCB officials’ absence at Champions Trophy final

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has responded to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) complaints regarding the absence of PCB officials at the Champions Trophy 2025 final’s closing ceremony.

PCB officials expressed their frustration over being overlooked during the ceremony, which took place after the final match in Dubai between India and New Zealand on Sunday.

The ceremony was attended by ICC Chairman Jay Shah, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Roger Binny, BCCI secretary, and New Zealand Cricket Board Chairman Roger Toze. However, no representative from the host, PCB, was invited to the stage.

Although PCB Chief Operating Officer and Tournament Director, Sameer Ahmed Syed, was present at the event, the ICC did not invite him to participate in the stage proceedings.

The ICC issued a statement, clarifying that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had been invited to attend the final ceremony but chose not to participate. The ICC reiterated that its practice is to invite the head, vice president, or CEO of the host board to the ceremony, and other officials, even if present, are not typically part of the stage proceedings.

The statement emphasised that the ICC follows consistent guidelines for all its tournaments, regardless of location.