Cup controversy: Champions got the original trophy,says ICC

The original gold and silver Cup is valued at $130,000.

The International Cricket Council has,however,rejected these allegations,saying the real Cup was handed to the champions.

“Contrary to some erroneous and mischievous media reports,the ICC can confirm the trophy presented to India at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday was the original ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy and the one that was always intended to be presented to the winner of the event,” the ICC statement read.

“There is no question that this was a replica. The trophy presented to India indeed carries the specific event logo of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and has always been the cup that the 14 teams were playing for,” it added.

The ICC said the Cup in the customs’ custody is the “perpetual trophy” which is used for promotional purposes.

“The trophy seized by Mumbai customs is the promotional,perpetual trophy which remains in the keeping of ICC at its headquarters in Dubai. It carries the generic ICC corporate logo rather than the logo specific to the 2011 event. That trophy will be reclaimed today and will travel back to Dubai with ICC staff as was always intended,” the governing body said.

Customs sources also admitted they did not know whether the trophy with them is the original or not.

“We don’t know whether it is the original Cup or a replica. But we will release it after payment of 35 per cent customs duty.”

The Cup in the possession of the Customs department was being brought from Colombo after the Sri Lanka-New Zealand semifinal when it was seized.

The original has been in the Wankhede Stadium,Mumbai,for more than a month now,ICC sources said.

Customs later confirmed the ICC Trophy in the custody of Mumbai Airport Customs was the promotional cup which will be taken to the ICC Headquarters in Dubai and has nothing to do with the World Cup given to the winning Indian cricket team on Saturday.

Dismissing reports that the Cup given to the Indian team was a fake,the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) issued a statement to say that BCCI had asked the customs to keep the “ICC Perpetual Trophy” in its custody since there was no clearance from the government for its import into the country.

The CBEC denied that the “original ICC Cricket World Cup 2011” was lying in the Airport Customs Warehouse in Mumbai.

It quoted ICC statement to say that the trophy seized by the customs was the “promotional,perpetual” trophy which remains in the keeping of the ICC at its headquarters in Dubai.

Narrating the sequence of events,the CBEC said two passengers by the name of Emma Waite and Rixon Heyder arrived from Colombo in Mumbai on April 1 carrying a trophy in their personal baggage which was claimed to be the “ICC Perpetual Trophy”.

“All goods and equipment imported temporarily for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament,a list of which was given by the ICC Tournament Committee,have been exempted from customs duty.”

“However,the list given by the ICC Tournament Committee did not cover the aforesaid trophy which was claimed by the passengers to be ICC Perpetual Trophy,” the CBEC said.

It said to remove all doubts,the concerned Customs officers,therefore,contacted the ICC Tournament Director and inquired about the said ‘trophy’,so that appropriate action could be taken expeditiously and the matter resolved.

In response,Professor R S Shetty,Tournament Director,ICC Cricket World Cup 2011,said in a letter the same day to Commissioner of Customs,Air Cargo Complex,Sahar,Mumbai informed that the ‘trophy’ in question was not to be used for any purpose inside the country for the ongoing World Cup.

The letter said it was being carried by Waite and Heyder as their personal baggage and that it would have been taken back to the ICC Headquarters on completion of their assignment in India.

It also further added the trophy shall be collected by the two passengers on their way back to their destination.

Prof Shetty also requested the Customs office hold the trophy in the warehouse at the Mumbai Airport till it is collected by the two passengers on their return.

“It is,therefore,clear that the trophy meant for the winning side has been given to the winning side and an avoidable controversy appears to have arisen in the matter,” the CBEC statement said.