PCB to profit from “home” series in England
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will profit from the current test series that is taking place in England. Following the massive ticket sales in venues across England, the PCB will pocket U.S. $2 million from the ongoing test series against Australia. With financial success being reported, chances are that England will be hosting a few more matches for Pakistan. On the other hand, England has also turned out to be a good place for Pakistan to host its home series as a lot of gate money has been generated in the two T20 matches in Edgbaston.
Following the horrific incident against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore last year, all doors were closed by the ICC to hold cricket matches in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and Pakistan in England.
The Middle East remains another option for Pakistan to host its matches but recent tournaments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were not financially viable for the PCB. Jam packed crowds in Edgbaston and decent crowd in Lords were a good sign for Pakistan cricket. The PCB hosted its home series against New Zealand in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in 2009 as well which was not a big success if compared with the financial profitability of matches hosted in England. Wasim Bari, the Chief Operating Officer of the PCB said that their priority is to make sure that Pakistani players play test cricket irrespective of the location. Cricket should flourish in the country which will only happen once people in Pakistan can watch test games. "What are our priorities first? Sometimes you have to invest a little and the most important thing is that Pakistan is playing and is moving forward, if the choice is to play or not, what is the choice? You play of course," Bari said.
Pakistani players are also happy with the support that they have received in England. Coach Waqar Younis was excited that the boys in green received huge support from local fans but he however felt that ideally, they would like the situation to improve in Pakistan so that international cricket can take place at home. “It's been a while since we've had such a crowd backing us; it’s been a good two years or something like that. It's good to see, we get good support here in England. It always helps,” Younis said.
England has one of the best cricketing infrastructure which allows the ECB to easily host matches for Pakistan. Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, the Chairman of the England and Wales has welcomed Pakistan to host more matches in England. England has a big population of British born Pakistanis who have come out in big numbers to watch the two T20 matches in Edgbaston. After the success of T20 matches in Edgbaston, Giles Clarke said, “In order to ensure this is possible and to also assist with the development of the next generation of Pakistan cricketers it's essential we provide the PCB with the necessary levels of revenue to invest in grassroots development. If that means hosting more matches at grounds across England and Wales then I know the ECB stands ready to support the PCB in its hour of need."
PCB will mainly earn from MCC sponsorships who have funded all the matches and has labelled it as the “spirit of the game” in order to give Pakistani cricket a lifeline. Ticket sales will however go to the MCC who have marketed the tournament quite well. “MCC will keep all ticket revenues from the match but, of course, has paid for the right to host the game, but ticket sales have been encouraging. Having marketed the match heavily over a number of months, MCC have pre-sold over 43,000 tickets for the first four days of this Lord's Test match," http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Keith-Bradshaw-c70580, the MCC chief executive, told a private website.
Experts say that the prospects of Pakistan hosting matches in England is appealing but let’s hope that the security situation improves in Pakistan and international cricket finds its way back to the fields of Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Tags: