Pakistan Cricket Board to demand $15m for tour cancellation

Lahore, Nov 16: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will demand a $15 million compensation from the ICC for the cancellation of this winter's series against India.

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB, said the case will be presented before the ICC officials on Friday. Malcolm Gray and David Richards, chairman and chief executive of the ICC respectively, arrive here tonight on a five-day visit.

"Why should we bear the loss for India's decision? The series was approved by the ICC. Now they are responsible to compensate us.

"Whether they press India or compensate us from their own funds, I am not interested. What I am keen on is to recover the huge amount which we had planned to invest in the improvement of infrastructure and creation of certain facilities," Zia said.

He said the PCB will not get $6 million from TWI, $6.8 million from the sponsors and rest from other resources.

"We also suffered $3 million loss from India's withdrawal from the Toronto series. It is becoming unbearable," he said.

He added that he would convey to the ICC boss that he would only approve the 10-year programme if the game's governing body ensured that in case of India's refusal to tour Pakistan, it will look after the financial side.