The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning for the best and the worst amidst the Coronavirus pandemic as it seeks to mitigate financial setbacks stemming, as per reports of Reuters.
PCB experienced a huge setback when the COVID-19 pandemic hit just when the Pakistan Super League (PSL), worth about $300 million to the governing body, was about to enter the knockout stage. Bangladesh also postponed its third leg of the Pakistan tour which was supposed to consist of second and final Test and a one-off ODI.
“It was a small setback, not a huge one. I say that because we have successfully brought Test cricket back in Pakistan ... we had the MCC tour, and obviously the PSL itself was a resounding success. We are fortunate in many ways, that we don’t have a home series now until November,” PCB CEO Wasim Khan said.
PCB is looking for a window in November-December for the remaining PSL matches, Khan said, and still hoped to complete the Bangladesh fixtures in 2021.
Pakistan set to tour England in July to play three Tests, three T20Is at bio-secure venues
“We have been working out contingency plans, so that we can understand what the landscape may look like for us in 12 months’ time. The scenario planning is based on no Asia Cup happening in September, no World Cup happening in October. We’re trying to understand what the full impact of that is, and we’ll know that in the next couple of weeks,” Khan added.
One of the ways PCB is hoping to wade through this financial mess is through a new broadcast deal for the 2020-23 period. However thanks to the soured relationship of Pakistan with neighbors India means that the value of the deal is already undermined.
But Wasim Khan hopes home series against South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and England over the next couple of years would offer “decent value” to broadcasters. However, he feels this will be dependent on Pakistan successfully getting England and Australia to tour Pakistan.
“The progress that we’ve made, there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be touring in 2022. We’ll continue to work with those cricket boards, as we will be with New Zealand and South Africa, to ensure we provide the security provision that they expect,” Wasim said.
However, the biggest ambitions remain to host ICC world events in the 2023-31 cycle.
Wasim explained that “By 2023, we’ll be further down the line and mature further in how we run large-scale events. We will be doing everything we possibly can with a strong case to host those events from 2023.”
(Reuters inputs)
