Team News Riveting
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had to be dependent on India for its survival.
Chairman Ramiz Raja said that the board could collapse if the Indian government wanted. He was briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination on Thursday.
Raja explained that the PCB receives 50 per cent of its funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC). The funding means that the body conducts tournaments and distributes the money among member boards.
“Ninety per cent of ICC’s funding comes from Indian markets,” the PCB said. The Board Chairman did not hesitate to reveal that in a way, Indian business houses were keeping Pakistan cricket going.
He said that if the Indian prime minister decided to stop funding at any point, the cricket board could “collapse”.
During the briefing, the PCB chairman stressed the need for fixing the system, adding that the salaries of domestic cricketers had been raised and they will now earn Rs 40 million annually.
“No cricketer will have to drive a rickshaw anymore,” he said, adding that he had held “positive meetings” with various investors and they were willing to offer money for the betterment of national cricket.
Raja said work at the school level would soon begin with an aim to overhaul the cricket structure.
The PCB chairman also said those cricketers who had tarnished the country’s image by being involved in match fixing should not be included in the team.
