Shoaib Akhtar shocked by absence of PCB representation at Champions Trophy final presentation: ‘It was a missed opportunity on the world stage…’

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar was surprised to see no presence of the Pakistan Cricket Board during the trophy presentation ceremony following India's victory in the Champions Trophy final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India clinched a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the final to secure their third Champions Trophy title. ICC chairman Jay Shah, BCCI president Roger Binny, and secretary Devajit Saikia were present on the podium to award the medals, but there was no representative from the Pakistani side, despite them being the hosts of the tournament. Akhtar expressed his disappointment at the lack of representation from Pakistan during such a significant moment in cricket.

Pakistan were the official host of the tournament, but after India refused to visit there due to political tensions between the two nations, the ICC decided to adopt the hybrid model. India played all their matches in Dubai, including the final. The venue for the Champions Trophy final depended on India's semifinal result, and when they reached the summit clash, Lahore was dropped from the picture.

Akhar, who is very vocal about his views and opinions, was flabbergasted seeing no PCB representative at the presentation ceremony.

"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. It was the world stage, you should have been there, but sadly, I could not see any Pakistan Cricket Board member there. We hosted the tournament, yet there was nobody there. Feeling very down to see that," Akhtar said in a video posted on his social media.

BCCI president Binny presented the white jackets to India and the medals to match officials, while ICC chairman Shah handed the trophy to Rohit Sharma and gave the medals to the Indian players.

Pakistan knocked out in group stage

The Pakistan team, which entered the tournament as defending champions, was eliminated from the group stage and ended without a win. They lost to India and New Zealand, while the Bangladesh match was washed out.

Meanwhile, a magnificent half-century from skipper Rohit Sharma, exceptional spells from spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul's calm finishing knock helped India emerge victorious in the high-stakes encounter.

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