NEW DELHI, Oct 8: India is virtually running the Pakistani cricket and if India decided to stop funding it, it could be curtains for the Pakistan Cricket Board, the new PCB chief Ramiz Raja said.
Terming the International Cricket Council (ICC) a ‘politicised body divided between Asia and West,’ Raja said 90% of cricket’s parent body’s revenues are dependent on India and if they decide to stop funding, then it can be curtains for Pakistan cricket.
Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial affairs in Islamabad, Ramiz Raja revealed 50% of PCB’s budget come from the ICC funding and added it was time for the PCB to reduce that dependence by starting to tap the local market.
“The ICC is a politicised body divided between the Asian and Western blocs and 90 per cent of its revenues are generated from India. It is frightening,” the PCB Chief said. “In a way India’s business houses are running Pakistan cricket and if tomorrow the Indian PM decides he will not allow any funding to Pakistan, this cricket board can collapse,” he added but did not elaborate on the specifics.
Talking about the recent pullouts by New Zealand and England teams from Pakistan visits on “security reasons,” Raja said it was ‘unacceptable’ as New Zealand Cricket was yet to provide them with details about the security threat that prompted them to fly out of Rawalpindi hours before the scheduled first ODI.
“What New Zealand did was unacceptable because till now they have not shared any information with us on what led them to abandon the series in Pakistan. But they are now trying to reschedule the series,” he said.
Ramiz hinted that there could be some good news regarding the postponed New Zealand series in a week’s time. He indicated that New Zealand cricket board was working on a new schedule to tour Pakistan. “The good thing is they are working on something which means they want to mend things with us.”
The New Zealand cricket team had arrived in Pakistan on September 11 for the first time in 18 years to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 Internationals but left on September 19 without playing any match after their government and security agencies cited security concerns.
Ramiz, in a candid briefing to the Senators, also said he would unveil his plans for Pakistan cricket and the board in a week to 10 days’ time. “To me it is simple if the national team cannot do well and win matches it means that everyone in the board from the tea man to the top official have failed in their duties,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)