Asia Cup 2025: Naqvi slams Modi for dragging politics into cricket

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi hit back at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he attempted to link India’s Asia Cup win over Pakistan with war rhetoric.

In a strongly worded social media post, Naqvi said the Indian leadership’s attempt to mix war with sports reflected “frustration and disappointment,” adding that such remarks undermine the true spirit of cricket.

He further stated that if war is the yardstick of national pride, “history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game.”

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also weighed in, accusing Modi of “destroying the culture and spirit of cricket” for political gain. He stressed that peace and resolution of regional conflicts cannot be achieved through such tactics, adding, “The record of Pakistan-India wars is etched in stone with six zeros.”

It is worth mentioning that Modi celebrated India’s Asia Cup triumph over Pakistan as part of his so-called “Operation Sindoor” narrative, during which the Indian military killed innocent civilians in Pakistan. Modi further attempted to frame the cricket victory as symbolic of India’s success in the May conflict with Pakistan.