Following the much-awaited Asia Cup 2025 final, Pakistan Team Captain Salman Ali Agha announced that the team would donate all the match fees earned from the final to civilians and children in India affected by Operation Sindoor.
It is worthy to mention that shortly after the match, Suryakumar Yadav, another Indian cricketer, offered his own match earnings as donation to the Indian Army and the Pahalgam terror attack victims.
Making an announcement on social media, the Indian captain stated he would donate his entire match fee to the Indian Army, with a particular focus on soldiers engaged in Operation Sindoor and the families of those slain in the recent terror incident in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
Following Suryakumar Yadav
If only Pakistan could have followed Suryakumar Yadav’s example! The Pakistan captain said after Pakistan lost to India by five wickets in the Dubai final:
“As a team, we have decided to donate our match fees to the civilians and children affected by India’s attack,” Agha said at the post-match press conference as quoted by Hindustan Times.
India’s historic win was made possible by Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets and Tilak Varma’s amazing unbeaten 69 off 53 balls.
After the Asia Cup final, a controversy erupted
On a side note, exceptionally high-quality cricket was witnessed during the game, but the post-match happenings were marred by a controversy. It is said that the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Later, Naqvi walked away with the trophy and was seen taking it back to his hotel.
Subsequently, BCCI president Devajit Saikia condemned the act and said a formal complaint would be lodged by India. He urged Mohsin Naqvi to return the trophy and the medals as soon as possible.
