Butt questions previous regime's financial dealings

The new chief of Pakistan cricket has voiced serious concerns about the poor financial health the PCB has been left in by the previous administration.

Ijaz Butt was appointed chairman of the board two weeks ago and in his first press conference made a number of remarkable revelations. Among the more serious and relevant to Pakistan cricket were the financial problems.

"Since assuming charge, I have gone through the PCB's budget but could only find that there is no income and only expenditures," Butt said.

"The PCB could receive only 5% of the revenues it had estimated in the annual budget. However, it has spent out more than 90% of the estimated expenditures account," Butt said.

Butt avoided disclosing details of what reserves are left with the board but claimed that only a third of the amount claimed by the outgoing chief was in the bank.

"Though it is a fact that due to security reasons, Australia's tour and ICC Champions Trophy could not be held and, under such circumstances, an organisation is forced to review the estimated budget, but in PCB the previous management did not follow the principle and continued to make huge expenses," he said.

Butt went on to cast doubt over claims by his predecessor Nasim Ashraf that he had insured the Australian tour of Pakistan scheduled earlier this year. At the time there was considerable ambiguity over whether the series had been insured.

"Soon after taking charge, I read out the related documents of the insurance but there is nothing concrete and it all looks like a fraud," Butt said.

The allegations didn't stop there. The recent agreement signed between the PCB and Dubai Sports City also came in for questioning. "I met the authorities in Dubai and they reminded me about the contract signed by the previous management. But when I asked them to show me the written agreement they could not and it was, apparently, done verbally which is no good," Butt said.

"The PCB and the BCCI have also agreed to ask the Sports City authorities in Dubai to double the amount if India and Pakistan feature in the contest in any of three years," he said.