India's refusal to play cost Pakistan $100 million

    Lahore: PCB on Wednesday made it clear that it has not asked for any compensation fund to be set up by the International Cricket Council (ICC) because foreign teams are not touring Pakistan. "There is an absolutely wrong impression that the PCB has asked the ICC to set up a compensation fund because teams are not touring Pakistan since last six years," an official source said on Wednesday. "The factual position is that PCB has suffered losses of around $100 million since 2007 because India has refused to play Pakistan in a bilateral series. Pakistan is the only test playing nation against whom India is not playing," the source explained. The source said that the PCB had basically told the ICC Executive Board that since it was the only country India refused to play so Pakistan deserved to get special funds from the ICC to compensate for this. He pointed out that Pakistan had taken its stance because ironically while India had no issues playing against Pakistan in ICC events which fetched the world body millions of dollars they had avoided a bilateral series since 2007. "The bottom line is that Pakistan is the only country not getting matches from India and it is still getting the same share as other countries from the ICC for its events," the source said. "Indian board has not met its commitments despite signing a MOU with the PCB for six series between 2015 and 2022. PCB only signed the ICC big three governance system document because India under the supervision of ICC signed the MOU with the PCB," the source disclosed. He said it was a wrong impression that Pakistan cricket is in danger of going bankrupt which is why it had approached the ICC for funds. "The PCB has neither asked for any loan or aid. They are asking for their right," he said. "It is a credit that despite international teams not touring Pakistan and India not playing with Pakistan the PCB has managed to remain financially stable and in good health. But what India is doing is unfair and PCB now want more funds from the ICC events," he said. The source said that Pakistan was also not happy with the distribution of shares from the ICC contributing costs. "Under the existing big three formula of distribution of contributing costs in the next 10 years while Pakistan will get only $100 million approximately, India will get around 350 million and England and Australia around 200 million," the source explained. He said that under the existing system for example if ICC earned $100 million profit from one event it firstly evenly distributed around 70 percent evenly among all member countries but the remaining amount was distributed as contributing costs. "And India takes home around 32 percent of the contributing costs share, England around 18 and Australia 12 and the rest is left for distribution among other countries which is not fair," the source contended. The source said the ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson during his visit to the PCB headquarters last week had said Pakistan's issue was being discussed by the ICC finance committee. "The finance committee will then report to the ICC Executive Board at its meeting from October 12 in Cape Town," the source stated. The source also confirmed that the ICC had recently asked the Indian Cricket Board about its decision not play a women's cricket series with Pakistan in UAE in September. "The ICC has inquired from BCCI about its official stance on bilateral ties with Pakistan as the womens series was part of the ICC women's cricket league. But they are still waiting for an answer," the source said.