The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking financial support of the International Cricket Council (ICC) towards the losses incurred by it during the seven-year period of no international action at home since 2009 due to the refusal of foreign teams to tour Pakistan on security grounds.

The PCB is taking up the matter at the ICC’s annual conference which is being held in Edinburgh from June 27 to July 2. But whether it will create any impact with the world cricket governing body on the issue remains a million dollar question.

It is indeed a good move on the PCB’s part, though it has come somewhat late in the day. Earlier on, neither the PCB nor the ICC took this matter seriously.

However, the PCB, compelled at making heavy expenditures on hosting the series at off-shore venues, is now keen on ICC to offer substantial financial support in this regard.

Though PCB’s stance has many merits and the ICC and its affiliated countries should look at it seriously, one believes that the PCB will have to launch a comprehensive campaign to convince other cricket boards to back it on the issue.

Till today, not even a single cricket board has come forward to lend its support to the PCB in the thorny matter.

In fact, the cricket boards of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have, only dictated their terms to the PCB rather than understanding the challenges being faced by it.

So far nothing has been heard from any quarter about what kind of steps the PCB has taken in Edinburgh to raise the issue effectively.

Interestingly, ICC’s attitude towards the PCB has never been too friendly since 2009 and the world body has not done much to stabilise the situation in Pakistan.

The ICC possesses huge development funds in its kitty for the associate members but it is not ready to do anything for a full member like Pakistan who have served the game tremendously during the past decades.

The volte-face by India, once a strong supporter of Pakistan among the Asian countries, has also been a huge setback for Pakistan.

More interestingly, the ICC, which has been minting money in cashing the matches between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan in its own tournaments, did nothing for the Pakistan cricket, when it deserves a lot from it.

Had the ICC allocated some portion of its income it earned through Indo-Pak clashes in the ICC events for the PCB, it would have served a lot for the Pakistan cricket.

Instead of helping the PCB, the ICC always created hurdles in its way.

When Zimbabwe were ready to tour Pakistan last year, ending six year drought of the international cricket in Pakistan, the ICC refused to make appointments of its match officials for the said series as the two cricket boards appointed their own officials.

Earlier, Bangladesh was also ready to tour Pakistan in 2013, but again the ICC’s response to appoint match officials was negative as it was also one of the reasons behind not holding that series.

It is not enough, the ICC made its task force in order to resume the international cricket in Pakistan and appointed Giles Clarke as its head.

Though Clarke is hopeful of bringing a Commonwealth team to Pakistan in near future, he also handed over a budget of heavy amount as the expenses.

Sources in the PCB said it is not possible to bear such huge expenses of the Commonwealth team so the tour is not possible.

The ICC also remained a silent spectator, when India, a giant partner of the game’s governing body, refused to resume bilateral series against Pakistan last year.

Though the PCB was ready to host India at its (India) own proposed off-shore venue of Sri Lanka for the bilateral series, ignoring the traditional neutral venues of the UAE, India did not send its team.

A series between Pakistan and India could stable the financial position of the PCB a lot, but despite knowing it neither India nor the ICC showed any good gesture.

It seems the world of cricket is just waiting to see how and when the ship of Pakistan cricket will be capsized.

PCB chairman Shaharyar M. Khan, who is in Scotland to attend the annual conference of the international game’s governing body, which will continue in Edinburgh from June 27 to July 2, has said that he would try to plead the PCB’s case in this regard.

But a success is not possible without a proper lobby and campaign.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2016