Pakistan board lines up plans to shore up finances

new delhi — The Pakistan Cricket Board is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst as it seeks to mitigate financial setbacks stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, its chief executive, Wasim Khan, said.

On the face of it, the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak could not have come at a worse time, striking in mid-March when the Pakistan Super League (PSL), worth about $300 million to the governing body, was about to enter the knockout stage.

Bangladesh were also moved to postpone the final leg of their Pakistan tour, which included the second and final Test and a one-off ODI — still rare fixtures in a country which has hosted almost no international cricket for a decade.

Khan, though, thinks the damage could have been a lot worse.

“It was a small setback, not a huge one,” the 49-year-old said in a telephone interview.

“I say that because we have successfully brought Test cricket back in Pakistan ... we had the MCC tour, and obviously the PSL itself was a resounding success.

“We are fortunate in many ways, that we don’t have a home series now until November.”

The board has already identified new windows in November-December for the remaining PSL matches, Khan said, and still hoped to complete the Bangladesh fixtures in 2021.

These are not the only potential losses for the board, however, with the fate of the Asia Cup, which Pakistan was to host in September, in limbo and uncertainty still hanging over this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

“We have been working out contingency plans, so that we can understand what the landscape may look like for us in 12 months time,” he said.

“The scenario planning is based on no Asia Cup happening in September, no World Cup happening in October.

“We’re trying to understand what the full impact of that is, and we’ll know that in the next couple of weeks.” The PCB is also in the process of selling its broadcast rights for the 202023 period.