Champions Trophy - Time for PCB to stand tall
Cricket
Champions Trophy – Time for PCB to stand tall
By Turyal Azam Khan
I have never been a diehard fan of cricket. I do not have the energy to watch Test matches even if Pakistan is playing.
I can be one of those what a cricket enthusiast calls a seasonal fan, a tag I do not mind. I make sure never to miss the high-intense India-Pakistan matches or tournaments whether it is the World Cup, Asia Cup, or the Champions Trophy that is to be held in Pakistan next year if only it is allowed.
Whether one is a seasonal fan or a diehard fan, it is disappointing that it has been years since we have seen a large-scale cricket event take place in Pakistan. Last year’s Asia Cup was Pakistan’s first chance to host an event on a big scale but it turned into a disaster due to India’s reluctance to play in Pakistan.
It was Pakistan, the host that had to accommodate India so the event could go ahead as planned. For someone who lives in Pakistan, it was annoying that they did not get to see the semi-final, final or India-Pakistan matches in Karachi, Lahore, Multan or Rawalpindi.
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was to be held in Pakistan but due to security concerns, the matches had to be shifted out of Pakistan and perhaps that was understandable. Obviously, it was irritating that spectators of a potential host country were seeing their country play on big television screens rather than in their home stadiums as opposed to fans in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but nonetheless, that environment, albeit irritating, was still understandable. But it has been a long time since that.
Many teams have come to Pakistan and they have successfully managed to play their matches in Pakistan without any issues. Even the matches of the disorganised Asia Cup in Pakistan were held without any issues so what is the issue now? Why is India the only country refusing to play in Pakistan due to “security concerns”? What exactly are those “security concerns”?
How much leverage do the BCCI and PCB have?
When it comes to international cricket, it is no secret that India is the dominating power. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has a lot of money whether it is through the Indian Premier League (IPL) or through other means. Last year, as per The Economic Times, they earned a surplus of 5,120 crore (Indian Rupees or INR) from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, a 116% increase over 2,367 crore (INR) it earned from IPL 2022.
According to The Times of India, the BCCI's financial strength this year amounted to 18,760 Crore (INR) and is the primary force of the global cricket economy.
In simpler terms that is a lot of money and considering that it is the richest cricketing board, it does have a lot of leeway when it comes to making decisions.
The same article cites the Pakistan Cricket Board as the fourth richest board with a financial strength of 458 Crore (INR).
It is obvious that in this scenario the BCCI has the upper hand but one of the driving factors behind a lot of money in cricket are India-Pakistan matches which generate a lot of revenue for the ICC.
The PCB might not be stronger financially in comparison to the BCCI but one of the warnings they have given the ICC and BCCI is to boycott matches with India in any event, big or small if the Champions Trophy is not held in Pakistan, and rightfully so.
If India-Pakistan matches do not take place, it will be a huge blow to the ICC, BCCI and even PCB but it is a stance that Pakistan is willing to take if their demands are not met.
Why PCB wants Champions Trophy in Pakistan?
The simple answer for the above question is that it is their right. It was no secret that the Champions Trophy was to be held in Pakistan since 2021. Pakistan played the ICC Cricket World Cup last year in India so they expected that India would return the favour.
It does make one wonder if the BCCI has so much leverage in the ICC, why did they not protest when Pakistan were announced as hosts in 2021. It is not like the government of India changed. The same government that has been running India since 2014 is still in power. Moreover, why did the BCCI announce just 100 days before the Champions Trophy that they will not be playing in Pakistan.
It did create annoyance for the PCB but did it not irritate the ICC considering preparations were taking place? Should there not be sanctions against the BCCI for creating hurdles but one doubts if the ICC has that much power against the BCCI as opposed to sanctioning Sri Lanka last year.
This would have not been so complicated perhaps if Pakistan were also allowed to play at a neutral venue rather than India during last year’s ICC World Cup and that is a major factor behind Pakistan’s reluctance to adopt the hybrid model. The PCB also demanded that their matches be played at a neutral venue rather than in India in a tit-for-tat move but eventually, Pakistan did play all of their matches in India.
However, that was not all. The India-Pakistan match was held in Gujarat adding to Pakistan’s anxiety which was the same place where the 2002 Gujarat riots took place killing many Muslims.
Adding to the above, India’s claim in the Asia Cup and next year’s Champions Trophy is due to “security concerns”, but what exactly are those security concerns have not been defined. The PCB has rightfully said that if the other teams are willing to come, then maybe the issue is with India.
Moreover, it is quite ironic to talk about security concerns considering that during last year’s World Cup in India, Pakistani players were confined to their hotel rooms and under 24-hour surveillance due to security concerns which former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur described as stringent.
Pakistan had to play their matches in such an environment and despite that, India is still refusing to play.
What is going to happen?
The PCB is unwilling to adopt the hybrid model and the BCCI is refusing to come to Pakistan. The ICC is acting as a mediator in this scenario in order to find a solution to this scenario. One would say it is quite disappointing to think of ICC’s approach but from a financial perspective, they want the PCB to agree to the hybrid model because whether one likes it or not the BCCI has a lot of power.
Financial incentives have also been offered to the PCB if they agree to the ICC and BCCI’s demands. If this does not happen, the board members of the ICC will vote on a solution during the board meeting of the ICC.
It is good to see that the PCB is remaining firm on their stance and they should as it is not just about the board, cricketers but also about a cricket-hungry nation who have been deprived of seeing big scale cricket tournaments on their home grounds for a long time.
However if they do accept the financial incentives in order to adopt the hybrid model, it would show where their priorities lie and that is not in interest of the fans.
Moreover, support should be shown to the PCB if the odds are not in their favour and the Champions Trophy is either partially or fully taken out of Pakistan. In that scenario, the PCB has to remain steadfast on their stance of not playing any matches with India sending a strong signal to the ICC and BCCI.
This is one of those cases where the interests of the nation need to be considered even if that amounts to financial losses.
