“I am not a victim of emotional conflicts, I am human.” This Marilyn Monroe quote caught my attention as I analysed the various aspects of the Big Three puzzle recently.

All sorts of ideas are being thrown at the people running the cricket affairs today in how to go about dealing with the Big Three plan. However, the fact of the matter is there are only two options available to the Pakistan Cricket Board [PCB]; they should either go for the revamp plan presented by the Big Three or it should put its foot down once and for all.

The first option is easy while the second choice would bring in the consequences. Since the required number of votes [8 out of 10] have been acquired by the ICC for the revamp plan, even a clear ‘no’ from the PCB wouldn’t raise many concerns amongst the big players. Instead, it will further spoil the relationship between Pakistan and the rest of the cricketing world.

The emotional part of the puzzle, as far as Pakistan is concerned, is India here, mainly due to their age-old relationship as arch-rivals both on and off the field. The other two nations — England and Australia — are seen as lesser evils by the majority in Pakistan.

Let me confess that in the beginning I was also amongst the fierce critics of the proposed revamp. But as time went by, the situation kept on changing. Had Pakistan lobbied adequately in the beginning and played its cards right, the scenario would have been different. The present stage, however, doesn’t demand any more diplomacy. Today, the PCB needs to think about its own interest only.

Coming back to the lesser ‘evils’ England and Australia, would any Board mind frequent home and away series with these countries? Absolutely nobody would mind this prospect, then why shouldn’t the PCB cash in on the offer? Yes, there is that ‘loss of money’ aspect which comes into play after the implementation of the Big Three plan since it would cut down the annual ICC grant. But at the same time, it would create more opportunities to play bilateral series, hence more monetary benefit would be achieved.

Now onto the crucial India factor. As per my information the Board of Governors of the PCB also discussed the Indo-Pak matter specifically. The minutes of the Jan 18 Governing Board session proves that it reviewed the BCCI’s proposal in detail. The meeting was also informed about the telephonic discussion between the PCB and the BCCI in which it was conveyed that the PCB could potentially become the fourth permanent member of the ‘Big Three Group’ and would also benefit from extra funding in the form of additional Pakistan-India tours.

Indeed, playing with India is profitable for the PCB or any other cricket Board for that matter. But it is also a fact that the BCCI is compelled to give a lot of importance to Pakistan the reason for which, as I mentioned above, is the monetary value.

For instance, the revenue BCCI will get as a result of bilateral series with Pakistan will be much, much higher than a series with say England, New Zealand or even South Africa.

As per my information, the BCCI has agreed to six bilateral series with Pakistan in the next 8-9 years — from 2015 to 2023. This would mean three home tours for PCB which could be worth over $100 million. It is indeed a lucrative proposition and, if taken at face value, resolves the money issue handsomely for the PCB. But will India honour its commitment is the big question here.

The most Pakistan could do is seek a formal guarantee from the Indian Board with a compensation clause so that a ‘no-show’ from either side would not financially harm the respective Boards. However, the counter question here can be, how desperately the BCCI needs Pakistan’s support at the moment? The boards of Pakistan and India do face hindrances due to the political tensions between them, but in view of the financial gains, I feel India would be more than willing to play with Pakistan and the BCCI would not hesitate to sit with the PCB to work something out despite the prevailing situation.

Here, I would like to point out that while financially the PCB is not as strong today as it used to be and the administrative affairs are also hurting its cause to a great extent, it can still control some of the key factors that bring in the dividends.

The PCB does generate money but that can be doubled if right investment policies are adopted. Currently, the Board is adhering to the easiest and the safest way by putting the money in the banks and acquiring a sizeable interest on it. This isn’t the appropriate manner, however. The PCB should formulate investment plans and by smartly investing money in the various business sectors, they can earn a whole lot more than what they currently do.

But again, even a million dollar per day wouldn’t be enough if the execution of plans and strategies are not proper or methodical. So let’s put the house in order first to address the other issues with confidence and wisdom.

The writer is a former Pakistan captain