|
Pakistan cricket on the verge of ... :
bankruptcy
Pakistan cricket is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs concrete
efforts to restore its coffers after Australia and India cancelled their
tours, a top official said on Tuesday.
India last month refused to send its team to Pakistan amid heightened
tensions following the November attacks on its financial hub Mumbai,
which New Delhi has blamed on militants based across the border.
India's tour cancellation cost the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) "at
least 40 million dollars (2.8 billion rupees)," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt
told reporters after addressing a hearing of the Senate's sports
committee.
He admitted that the PCB was in a "terrible financial position."
"Emergency steps are needed, otherwise we will have no money and will
have to carry a begging bowl before the government," he said, adding
that the PCB's reserves had fallen from 3.3 billion to 1.5 billion
rupees over the past two years.
Pakistan has been a virtual no-go zone for foreign teams since the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which sparked major
security fears for teams concerned about suicide and other attacks.
The cancellation of India's tour was the third major cricket event
called off in Pakistan last year, after Australia refused to tour in
March and the ICC postponed the elite eight-nation Champions Trophy set
for August 2008.
Rescheduled for September-October this year, the Champions Trophy is
likely to generate five million dollars for Pakistan if it goes ahead,
Butt said.
Butt also said that he inherited a troubled financial set-up when he
joined the PCB as chairman last year.
"Our finances stood at 42 million dollars in October 2006, but when I
took over as the chairman in October last year it was just 19 million
dollars," Butt told the committee.
The PCB convinced Sri Lanka to replace India who will tour Pakistan
in two segments, playing three one-dayers from January 18 and then
returning in February for a two-Test series.
Butt said he fears Australia will not tour Pakistan later this year
but added that three neutral venues - Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates
and England - were options in ensuring the series goes ahead. "We want
to host Australia in Pakistan but if they have their security concerns,
these are the three venues which will come up for discussions when I
meet officials of Cricket Australia in Perth later this month."
The PCB chairman is due to attend ICC's executive board meeting from
January 31-February 1 in Perth, Australia.
- ISLAMABAD, Wednesday AFP
|
