A top official of the Asian Cricket Council insisted on Wednesday India were "welcome" to collect the Asia Cup trophy from him.

"As ACC President, I was ready to hand over the trophy that very day and I am still ready now," Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X.

"If they truly want it, they are welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me."

Naqvi is one of the most influential figures in the Pakistan government as the country's Interior Minister, as well as being chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Simmering political tensions between India and Pakistan intensified on the cricket field last Sunday when Indian cricketers refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, having already declined handshakes with their arch-rival for three consecutive matches.

A day before the final, the

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