Team Pakistan will donate match fee to 'civilians affected' in Op Sindoor, says captain Salman Ali Agha

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha announced that the team will donate its match fees to the "civilians and children" affected during India's Operation Sindoor. 

“As a team, we have decided to donate our match fees to the civilians and children affected by India’s attack,” Agha said during the post-match press conference.

His announcement came after India captain Suryakumar Yadav announced the donation of his entire match fee from the Asia Cup to the country’s armed forces and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting alleged terror camps across the border.

Tensions arose at the trophy presentation ceremony in Dubai. Indian players reportedly refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan’s interior minister. The decision drew criticism from the Pakistani side, with Agha calling the conduct “disappointing.”

Agha stated, “They are not disrespecting us by not shaking hands; they are disrespecting cricket. Good teams don't do what they did.”

Despite the controversy, the Pakistani team posed for photos with the trophy. Agha explained, “We went to pose with the trophy (photo shoot) on our own because we wanted to fulfil our obligations. We stood there and took our medals.”

The ceremony was delayed, and India’s absence was notable. While India’s Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma received individual awards from other dignitaries, Agha received the runners-up cheque from Naqvi. The lack of acknowledgement between the sides contributed to the uneasy atmosphere.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later confirmed that India had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi. Host broadcaster Simon Doull announced, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”

The final concluded with both teams maintaining their positions, and the trophy was later taken away by ACC Chairman Naqvi. The incident has sparked discussions on sportsmanship and protocol within international cricket.