India’s women’s cricket team won a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title after defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Sunday’s final in Dubai, according to DW. The victory came amid renewed political tension surrounding the tournament’s presentation ceremony.
The Indian players did not attend the trophy presentation with Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council president, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s interior minister. The ceremony was delayed by nearly an hour and ended abruptly after Naqvi presented runners-up medals to Sri Lanka, DW reported.
Indian officials instead arranged a separate medal presentation for the champions. India coach Amol Muzumdar said the decision had been taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and that the team supported it. “For us, this tournament is over, we are the champions,” he told reporters, according to DW.
India had scored 183-5 in the final before restricting Sri Lanka to secure the 72-run victory. The result extended India’s dominance in the continental competition, though the ceremony became the main focus after the match.
The episode echoed a controversy from the previous year, when India’s men also skipped a prize ceremony with Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in an Asia Cup final, DW said. India and Pakistan do not play bilateral cricket series and meet only in international tournaments.
The latest dispute took place against the backdrop of strained relations between the neighboring countries. DW reported that India and Pakistan engaged in a military conflict last year that threatened to escalate into a wider war, adding political significance to an already contentious sporting encounter.