Pakistan’s cricket chief revealed yesterday his board have requested the game’s administrative body set up a fund to ease the losses incurred by not being able to stage home matches.
Apart from five limited over matches against minnows Zimbabwe last year, Pakistan have not hosted any major team since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.
They have been forced to play their home matches on neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) incurring reported losses of around $100mn in seven years.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said his board have put forward the case during the annual conference of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which ended in Edinburgh on Saturday.
“The PCB has circulated its case during the meeting that we deserve a fund as we incur losses by playing our home matches in UAE and the ICC has promised to consider the request,” Khan told AFP on phone from the UK.
Even before the Lahore attacks on the Sri Lankan team, Pakistan had been a “no go” area for international teams, resulting in the shifting of the 2008 Champions Trophy and share of matches in the 2011 World Cup over security fears.
A Pakistan-India bilateral series, considered a money-spinning event, has also not taken place since 2007 as New Delhi do not clear the matches over strained relations in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Khan said Pakistan were losing on all fronts.
“Look, we have also not been able to host any ICC events nor are we scheduled to host in the next allocation until 2023, so we are losing big money,” said Khan. The ICC also formed a Task Team in 2008 to help Pakistan revive international cricket at home.
“The Pakistan Task team under Giles Clarke will also look into the matter of setting up funds and that will allow us to develop our cricket,” said Khan. “We are also doing our best efforts to bring international cricket at home and hosting the Zimbabwe series was part of those efforts.”
Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan fear younger players will suffer by not being able to watch stars on their grounds. Pakistan’s younger generation of players Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal have not played Test cricket on home grounds, losing the home advantage, which could help them prosper.
Misbah last month urged international teams to consider touring Pakistan once the safety situation has improved.