Sethi hopeful of huge revenue gains for PCB

Najam Sethi, the PCB chairman, has said the Pakistan board stands to gain US$450 million (PKR 44.4 billion approx.) over the next eight-year cycle. Speaking on his return from the ICC meeting in Melbourne, where the governing body was restructured, Sethi said that more than half that revenue would come from the proposed series' with India.

"Until last year, we had been getting $10 million per year on average and in last seven years we got around $70 million from ICC fixtures [World Cup, Champions Trophy, etc]," Sethi said. "But now I can confirm with full confidence that Pakistan will be getting $150 million dollars in next eight-year cycle from ICC events, which is almost double the previous amount, which I think is a big achievement.

"By playing India we will be getting $300 million from just four series in next eight-year cycle, according to which India will only host two series."

The PCB had said last week that it had "binding agreements" with the BCCI to play these six series. However, Sethi now said the boards had agreed to play the series' but were yet to sign documents that would make them mandatory. "With India, we are yet to sign a binding bankable document but we are seeking to transform the present agreement biding into a bankable binding. ICC has given us a sample draft, a sort of agreement between two boards, which will be amended accordingly.

"It was never a must to play each other and if any board pulled out of their commitment there was no penalty at all. But this time we can make it a bankable commitment."

Politics, though, Sethi said, could still prove to be a stumbling block. "It's up to the boards to make up a legal and bankable agreement, but again in case the governments of either country do not want to play, you can't do anything. That's something beyond our control."