PCB to nominate 2015 ICC president: Sethi

Chairman expects Rs30 billion in profits over the next eight years .

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will nominate the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for 2015, according to chairman Najam Sethi, who returned from the governing body’s meeting held in Dubai from April 8 to April 10.

Pakistan decided to support the proposed changes conditionally in the ICC, according to which India, Australia and England (the ‘Big Three’) will dominate international cricket and consume large chunk of revenues.



“During the meeting we requested the ICC to allow Pakistan to nominate the ICC President next year, which was approved,” said Sethi during a press conference staged at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

“The ICC chairman will be from India, then from Pakistan. It’s a big achievement, keeping in mind how everyone was against us when we went to the meeting.”

It was also conveyed that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) development committee meeting will be held in Lahore on April 15, as the PCB continues to make an effort to project a better image of Pakistan to the international cricketing fraternity.

‘We will sign binding agreements with all boards’

The chairman also claimed that the PCB has agreed to a bilateral series with the countries, including India, over the next eight years. The confirmation will be included in the official Future Tour Programme (FTP), which will be released soon.

Sethi stressed that Pakistan had no option but to support the proposed changes in ICC because it was a matter of one against nine. It was a ‘take it or leave it’ situation for the country, as all other boards have agreed on their tours already this would have led to isolation and bankruptcy for the PCB.

“We decided to conditionally support the changes and have successfully agreed on bilateral tours with all countries, which will fetch us an estimated Rs30 billion profit. India have said that they will play with us subject to the approval of their government,” he claimed.

“We will sign binding agreements with all boards so that we can claim damages if they back out, or a force majeure is not proven by them. There was pressure on us to remove the name of Pakistan for home series and only neutral locations like Dubai were convenient for other boards, but we told them decidedly that international cricket should be played in Pakistan once conditions get better here.”

The board will also open the bidding process for broadcast over the next six to eight years once the FTPs are officially confirmed and finalised.

Apart from a series against Sri Lanka – comprising two Tests and three ODIs – to be played in July-August, all other details will be provided in the days to come.

Amir’s case to be reviewed in July: PCB chief

Meanwhile, Sethi said that pace man Mohammad Amir’s case was also discussed in the meeting and it will be reviewed in July by ICC. It is expected that his punishment of five years will be reduced to four.

“Amir’s case will be taken up by ICC in July and we’ll file another appeal to get his sentence of five years suspension reduced,” he said. “It is very likely that his punishment will be reduced to four years and he will be allowed to play domestic cricket.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2014.

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