PCB wants FTP to be in ICC's control again

Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, has said the board wants the Future Tours Programme to be drawn up by the ICC, as was the case previously, instead of the new system by which series are scheduled via bilateral agreements. Khan stressed that this was essential for equality among the Full Members, and one of the main reasons why the PCB had vehemently opposed the constitutional revamping of the ICC last year.

Khan's comments come in wake of the new ICC chairman Shashank Manohar criticising the imbalance of power within cricket's governing body because of last year's revamp. Manohar, who replaced the out-of-favour N Srinivasan before his scheduled term was over, called the revamp "bullying". He said there were several faults in the ICC that he hoped to rectify during his term as chairman, which ends in June 2016.

Khan agreed with Manohar, pointing out to ESPNcricinfo that the PCB was the main opponent of the move when it was proposed. "We have two basic principles: everyone should be equal, and the FTP should be carefully handled. It should have the previous formula with ICC arranging series and not bilateral arrangements. Otherwise we are letting some countries suffer - some countries that don't want to play the minor ones because playing them isn't a lucrative deal."

Khan said that the PCB was outvoted 9-1 during the revamp by the other Full Members. He said the ICC wanted to present a united front on the revamp and offered Pakistan "lucrative series" against India as compensation. "They said we are already outvoted by 9-1, but look we want to show the world a unanimous decision. Then they offered us very lucrative series against India, as you know six series between 2015 and 2023," Khan said. "Then we signed an agreement [for the series] before we agreed to sign the new constitution.

"It was obvious that we were a reluctant supporter of the Big Three. Many people interpreted that this was because of the relations between India and Pakistan. It is always perceived that whatever we do, they oppose it, and whatever they do, we oppose. But this is not really correct as the boards have always had cordial relations. We opposed it because the Big Three should not monopolise the cricketing ties with each other - they were anticipating playing only lucrative series and countries like Zimbabwe, New Zealand were left to find their own bilateral series which obviously are not as lucrative."

Khan said he was encouraged by Manohar's comments, even as the PCB is negotiating on the terms of the first of those six promised bilateral series with the BCCI. He expected the BCCI to honour that agreement.

"We still feel that the Big Three formula is not ideal, but since we have signed it we will go along with this and be faithful to it. We signed on the basis that India will play us - that was the agreement. So we expect to play. But if there is any move initiated to revise the constitution to a more democratic formula, we will of course support it."

The PCB's opposition to the revamp was led by the then chairman Zaka Ashraf. "The formula was clearly violating the principle of equality and with such a big international organisation, everyone should be equally treated rather than allowing the big ones to dictate everything," Ashraf said.

"The entire revamp was never really discussed, just brought in and forced on every board or else they would be isolated. Everyone obviously wants to play and they [the ones who opposed the proposals] were given lucrative offers to get to them on their [the Big Three's] sides."