PCB claim they suffered a USD 200 million loss after India refused to play bilateral series

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan today disclosed that the PCB had incurred losses amounting to USD 200 million because of the Indian team not playing bilateral cricket series in Pakistan.

"I informed the BCCI representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting recently that PCB had incurred losses of around USD 200 million because of India's refusal to play us and these losses were mounting as the BCCI was not even honouring a legal agreement to play bilateral series between 2015 and 2023," he said.

Khan said that Pakistan was now awaiting the confirmation of the new draft constitution of the ICC, which is expected to be approved in April, to start legal process against the BCCI.

"The new draft constitution has a clause for a disputes resolution committee and once the constitution is final we intend to take our case against the BCCI first to this committee," he told reporters in Lahore.

Khan said the BCCI representative had told him in the ICC meeting that the Indian Board was willing to play with Pakistan but could not do this without first getting government clearance.

Khan said the BCCI official had said that because of government non clearance they saw the MoU not applicable as 'Force Majeure'.

"I told him that they should have thought about their government before signing the MoU which is a legal agreement as per our lawyers," he said.

"I told him that India had denied us two home series the losses of which were around USD 200 million," Khan added.

India has not played any bilateral cricket with Pakistan since 2007 although in the winter of 2012/13, Pakistan made a short goodwill tour to India to play a couple of limited over games.

India, which plays Pakistan in ICC and Asian Cricket Council events, last toured Pakistan in 2015/16 for a full Test series.

The PCB chief also said that even after the termination of the 'Big Three' system of governance and financial model, India would end up getting the biggest share from ICC earnings.

"Even under the new draft constitution India gets around 16 percent share of all ICC earnings which is higher compared to other boards. Under the Big Three formula India, Australia and England were taking home more than 50 percent of the revenues with other boards getting far less," Khan said.

"It was not an equitable system of revenue distribution and we only agreed to it because India agreed to sign the MoU and play six bilateral series with us which would have allowed us to get financially stronger."

Khan said while Pakistan led the move to end the 'Big Three' governance system and got 10 votes in support, India as expected opposed the move.

"Their representatives appointed by the Lodha Committee asked for the matter to be deferred to the next ICC meeting in April, but we pushed through the draft constitution which should be ratified in April after all Boards give their views on it and enforced by June," he said.