Reservations over broadcasting rights arise

The PCB chairman is currently on tour to Dubai and England to sort out different issues over the series against England and New Zealand. -Photo by AP

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LAHORE: Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has accepted a proposal of the England and Wales Cricket Board about there being no reciprocal tour by England to Pakistan in 2012, some reservations over the broadcasting rights has erupted within the PCB.

Well-informed sources told Dawn that when the PCB had agreed to give away the FTP tour of England to Pakistan in 2012, they did not think about the TV rights, which it had already sold out against an amount of US$11 million.

Surprisingly, the PCB did not only give away the hosting rights of the 2012 series, it has also accepted ECB’s proposal to tour their country in 2010 in place of West Indies, to play 11 matches including four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 games.

In fact, sources said that the ECB killed two birds with one stone by hosting Pakistan in 2010 for a non-reciprocal series as it did not just help in not visiting Pakistan but also to meet the gap which has increased due to the cancellation of the West Indies tour to their country. England had last visited Pakistan in 2005 and they are somewhat reluctant to visit here again due to their security fears.

Sources said that the ECB had offered a meagre sum of US$3.6 million for the 11 matches of the 2010 series. They further disclosed that earlier the PCB had agreed to take just peanuts (USD 1.5 million) in exchange for those 11 matches. Later the sacked PCB Chief Operating Officer Saleem Altaf, who had been sidelined from dealing with the series, raised the objection and asked the PCB chairman to ask the ECB to pay about US$10 million for the matches since it was a non-reciprocal tour.

They believed that England marketing-wise came second after India. Therefore, the ECB should pay according to Pakistans status as they were furthermore also depriving Pakistan of the home series in 2012.

Sources said that the PCB’s Director Cricket Operations Zakir Khan had told Chairman Ijaz Butt that the amount should have amounted to at least US$4.5million.

The PCB chairman is currently on tour to Dubai and England to sort out different issues over the series against England and New Zealand. Link...