LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has to suffer a financial loss of $2.25 million under the head of ‘media rights income’ as it resolved a dispute with a media rights firm on Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan.

The dispute arose when the media rights firm, which is Indian, claimed that Sri Lanka’s tour to Pakistan in December 2019 was the last event to be covered by the firm under an agreement signed with the PCB in 2015. However, the PCB has adopted the stance that the agreement is to expire in June 2020.

The PCB demanded media rights amounting to $6 million from the said firm for the Bangladesh series comprising three T20s, two Tests and the one-off ODI, which are being staged in three phases.

The PCB has made the firm agree to include the Bangladesh series in the contract expiring in June 2020, as it demanded $6 million for the said series.

However, the firm later claimed that it received just seven days to make arrangements for the series as it could not exploit the series properly and incurred heavy losses. Upon this both the parties with the opinion of their legal experts agreed to reduce the amount to $3.75 million.

Meanwhile, the tickets for the ICC World Test Championship fixture between Pakistan and Bangladesh starting at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, will go on sale from Tuesday.

The tickets can be purchased from TCS Express Centres across Rawalpindi and Islamabad from 2pm.

On Wednesday, the tickets will be available at the Pothohar Road branch in Islamabad.

One buyer can purchase maximum five tickets, showing CNIC.

Keeping the convenience of the spectators at the forefront, the PCB has retained the prices of tickets for Meeran Buksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat enclosures at Rs50. Tickets for Azhar Mahmood, Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar and Javed Miandad enclosures have been fixed at Rs100.

SALMAN, ASHFAQ SEEKING COO POST

Salman Naseer, the acting chief operating officer along with retired Lt Col Ashfaq Ahmed, are the only two candidates running for the said post at the PCB on regular basis.

The post fell vacant when Subhan Ahmed resigned a couple of months ago.

The PCB decided to select new COO from within the organisation while appointing Salman to work as the acting COO.

Five applications from within the PCB were received including that of Salman, who it seems has already been selected for the said position.

Salman and Ashfaq will be interviewed by a committee headed by PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, CEO Wasim Khan and BoG member Shahraiz Abdullah Khan Rokhari.

Also, the PCB has set a budget of Rs14.50 million to host the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) visiting Lahore from Feb 13 to 19 to play four matches against different sides.

The team is visiting Pakistan after a long gap of 48 years. MCC president and former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara will be leading the team.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2020