PCB dissents against ICC’s approval of new financial model

Lahore: ICC Board, Committee meetings and the Annual Conference took place in Durban, South Africa, from 10-13 July 2023.

PCB’s delegation represented Pakistan at these meetings during which, amongst other matters, the following were discussed including equal prize money for men’s and women’s teams at ICC Events,  ICC financial and distribution model 2024-27, amendments to the ICC Sanctioning Regulations and modifications to the over rate sanctions in Test cricket.

The new ICC financial and distribution model envisages the largest-ever investment to go into global cricket and provides a huge opportunity for the game to grow further. In determining the distribution share to members, the model considers on and off field performance including cricket rankings, performance at ICC events, and commercial contribution to the ICC Events.

PCB, in accordance with it’s constitutional right, has over the past few weeks and at the ICC Meetings, consistently sought additional information to better understand the rationale behind allocation of weightages to each of the criteria and the calculation of the distributions. The PCB felt in the absence of all relevant information, data and formulae, such a significant decision should not be taken in haste.

The PCB, therefore, proposed that this item may be deferred to the next ICC meeting.

Ultimately, majority of members did not find it feasible to defer this item and voted in favour of passing the Model, while the PCB recorded its dissent as a matter principle.

Consequently, due to the Pakistan cricket team’s performance in men’s ICC events and in bilateral cricket, the PCB’s own huge fan-base, which leads to significant commercial value, the PCB was ranked amongst the top-four nations in this Model. As such, the PCB will receive more than two times the revenue when compared to the last cycle.

This increased share of revenue will mean that a far greater investment can be made in developing cricketing skills and will be beneficial in taking Pakistan Cricket to new heights. This was a welcome news for the Pakistani fans and our great nation.

A number of fruitful meetings were held by Mr Zaka Ashraf, Chair of the PCB’s Management Committee, with fellow cricket board officials on the sidelines of the ICC meetings where collaborations and mutually beneficial programs to further cricket development and growth were discussed.

On Saturday, 15 July, a meeting was held between the PCB and ACC officials in respect of finalising the schedule of the Asia Cup 2023, logistical and organizational arrangements and marketing campaigns.

The finalised schedule is likely to be announced during this week. With the opening match scheduled to kick off in Pakistan, the PCB, as the event host, looks forward to welcoming cricket fans from across the world to experience Pakistan’s renowned hospitality.