NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is facing intense backlash from cricket enthusiasts and former players after the country’s name was conspicuously missing from the official Asia Cup logo on participating teams’ jerseys. The issue came to the forefront during the opening match between Pakistan and Nepal in the Asia Cup held in Multan on Wednesday.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif was among the vocal critics who lambasted the PCB for this oversight. Latif expressed his dissatisfaction, highlighting that the Asia Cup was jointly organised by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan serving as the host nation for the tournament.
“This is unacceptable, and it is the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) which must explain this lapse since the Asia Cup is under their purview,” Latif declared, expressing his dismay at the omission.

While PCB officials attempted to downplay the situation by attributing the omission to a decision by the ACC following the previous year’s Asia Cup, Pakistani cricket fans on social media platforms remained unconvinced. Many questioned the rationale behind the ACC’s inconsistent approach, citing instances such as the inclusion of the host country’s name in logos for other ACC events like the Asian Emerging Nations Cup and the Asian under-16 event held in Malaysia earlier this year.
Former Test batsman Mohsin Khan echoed these concerns, emphasising the need for the ACC to clarify the confusion surrounding this issue. “The ACC should provide a clear explanation for this discrepancy,” he asserted.

An anonymous former player speculated that the contentious relationship between Pakistan and India might be a factor behind the omission. This sentiment was further exacerbated by the fact that Jay Shah, the president of the ACC and the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), occupies a key position in the decision-making process. The anonymous player suggested that the BCCI official might have wanted to avoid potential discomfort for the Indian team members due to the sensitive nature of the Pakistan-India relationship.
Rashid Latif did not dismiss this possibility, emphasising that the incident was not only embarrassing but also required further clarification. “Given the current scenario between the two countries, perhaps the BCCI official felt it would be embarrassing for the Indian team players to wear kits with the name of Pakistan on the official Asia Cup logo,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)