LAHORE: While approving a deficit budget for fiscal year 2012-13, the governing board of the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to form four new regions, raising their tally from 11 to 15 and also making it compulsory for any tournament organisers to get an NOC from the board.

The decisions were taken at governing board’s 23rd meeting held on Monday for the first time in Naudero, Larkana under the chairmanship of Zaka Ashraf.

“Annual Budget of the PCB for the financial year 2012-13 was presented to the board. The Board members deliberated extensively on the budget and noted that like previous years the budget is a deficit one. They assured that by the end of the financial year every possible effort will be made to reduce deficit,” an official press release issued on Wednesday stated without mentioning the amount of the budget.

The budget deficit, which reportedly amounts to 70 crore rupees, was approved by the PCB.

The PCB is hoping that a series with India, which Ashraf discussed with BCCI last month, and its Twenty20 League will help reduce the deficit which it has suffered due to mostly being forced to play "home series" on neutral venues because international teams refuse to play in Pakistan due to security concerns.

It further stated: “The BOG acknowledged and supported the creation of four new regions in the PCB domestic structure that has been approved through a government notification earlier this month. This will help the PCB to spread the facilities to a wider level. Now the total number of regions will be increased from 11 to 15.

“Keeping in consideration the workload of regions, PCB management will distribute districts among the new regions. One region each will be created in Balochistan, Sindh rural, Southern Punjab and Fata.”

The statement added: “In order to bring about discipline in domestic cricket, to bring all domestic cricket under the umbrella of the PCB, to keep it in line with the ICC requirements, and to tackle issues like corruption, anti-doping, schedule of matches and fitness of players at all levels domestically, the GB members deliberated on the rules for private domestic cricket events in detail.

“These rules will be applicable immediately. Under these rules every private party interested in holding a cricket event/tournament on domestic level will need NOC from PCB.

“Without the NOC, no PCB registered player will be able to participate in that particular tournament. A tournament evaluation committee, comprising director cricket operations international, director cricket operations domestic and manager legal, has been formed to look into the applications for NOCs.”