KARACHI: Pakistan will try to keep the issue of bringing back international cricket to their home soil alive when a two-day meeting of the ICC Task Force takes place in Dubai on December 6-7.
Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, will be meeting the Task Force chief Giles Clarke and other members of the panel that was set up by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last summer in a bid to assuage Pakistan’s fears that they were getting isolated following the refusal of international teams to visit the country because of security concerns.
“It is a regular meeting of the task force,” Butt told ‘The News’ on Wednesday. “We will be discussing certain issues and I’ll be in a better position to talk about them once we are finished with the meeting,” added the Board chief, who leaves for Dubai on Thursday (today) along with Subhan Ahmed, a senior PCB official.
While Butt refrained from discussing the details of what he described as a routine meeting, sources told this correspondent that the PCB is expecting the two-day exercise to deliver worthwhile results.
According to well-placed sources, Butt will try to highlight the problems faced by Pakistan cricket because of the refusal of international teams to come and play here following last MarchÃs terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore. He would also be seeking a roadmap for the return of international cricket to Pakistan once the security situation in the country starts showing signs of improvement.
Sources said that another important issue which the PCB might raise is the possibility of playing chief rivals India on neutral venues.
Pakistan suffered losses of almost US$48 million when India refused to come here for a full series early this year in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November last year. It was such a huge setback that the PCB is still facing a financial crisis even after shelving some of its development projects.
In November last year, it seemed that the PCB gave itself a shot in the arm by signing a five-year deal with a Dubai-based sports channel worth $145.5 million. However, the Board will stand to lose major chunks from that amount if it fails to line up ‘home’ matches against India in the coming years.
According to details, just one home series against India is worth around US$45 million as per the TV rights deal. In comparison, the PCB will receive a paltry amount of US$800,000 as it share from TV rights for the ongoing series against New Zealand. That sum is for both the limited-overs series which Pakistan hosted against the Kiwis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai last month as well as for the three-match Test series under progress in New Zealand.
“It is like if you take India out of the equation, the TV rights deal will fetch you roughly 30 percent of the total amount. And that is certainly not enough to run Pakistan cricket in a proper manner,” said the source.
It is because of that reason the PCB is expected to shift its focus from planning a return of cricket to Pakistan to lining up ‘home’ matches against India on offshore venues as early as next year.
India have already ruled out touring Pakistan in the near future and with their government adopting a strict stance against its neighbours, it seems quite difficult to even fix matches on neutral venues.
However, PCB is hoping that the ICC will play a mediatory role and help confirm Pakistan-India matches sooner than later. “There is this possibility that the PCB might ask the (ICC) Task Force to look into this matter and explore ways to pave the path for the revival of bilateral series between Pakistan and India,” said the source.
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