KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja has raised concerns about the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) unfair system of financial participation for cricket tables and his aim is to make Pakistan the second best cricket economy.
The PCB president claimed to have raised the issue of unfair participation on the ICC platform during the next general meeting for the new cycle of the Future Tour Program (FTP), while proposing that the funding system be based on the classification of any of the equipment or business prospects.
“ICC had developed this system a long time ago, in which the big cricket board took most of it,” he said in an interview with a YouTube channel. Cricket Baaz with Waheed Khan
“The basis of participation for the cricket boards must be based on cricket: the team that retains the top positions in all formats must obtain the corresponding funding,” he added.
He went on to explain that it was unfair that Pakistan got a meager 10 per cent share of all revenue made through the sensational Pakistan-India contests, while India got 90 per cent.
While expressing his desire to make Pakistan the second best cricket economy, the PCB chairman recognized the economic strength of the Board of Cricket of India (BCCI).
“It is unwise to unnecessarily underestimate the financial strength of any board.
If I were in his place, I would also have assumed my right to be the first pick, whether it be FTP or the tournament window given to the various boards,” he stated. “That’s why I want to become the second best economy in cricket, if not the best.”
The PCB chairman also stated that, unlike other boards, he felt privileged not to rely on the BCCI for finances.
“I feel privileged as I sit at the ICC table, unlike other boards that look to BCCI for their coffers,” he said.
“We are lucky to be standing on our own two feet, we have respect and our team is doing well in international cricket,” he concluded.
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