Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha Pledges Match Fees to Operation Sindoor Victims

Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha said the team will give their match fees to help civilians and children affected by India’s Operation Sindoor. “We, as a team, have decided to donate our match fees to support the civilians and children who were affected by India’s attack,” Agha said after the match at the press conference.

Earlier, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav said he would give his entire match fee from the Asia Cup to India’s armed forces and the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. In that attack, 26 people were killed in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April. A couple of weeks later, India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps across the border in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha also criticized the Indian team after they refused to accept the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the head of the Asian Cricket Council. Agha called their behavior “disappointing” and said it was not just disrespecting Pakistan but cricket itself. He added that the Pakistan team did their part, posing for photos and taking their medals, while India’s actions were “very disrespectful.”

India Declines Asia Cup Trophy from PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi

The Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday ended on a tense note as India reportedly refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi, who later took it to his hotel. The presentation ceremony was delayed by over an hour and Simon Doull, the host broadcaster’s presenter confirmed that the ACC had informed him that the Indian team would not be collecting their awards, bringing the post-match ceremony to an early close.

While Indian players Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma received their individual awards from other dignitaries, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha accepted the runners-up cheque from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. The Indian players did not acknowledge Naqvi and the ACC chairman also didn’t applaud them. Later, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that India had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister.

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