pcb
Pakistan has approached the Asian Cricket Council regarding their dues for the recently concluded Asia Cup. Originally planned to be hosted entirely in Pakistan, due to India’s refusal to tour, Sri Lanka took on the responsibility of hosting most matches, with only four held in Pakistan.
Additional expenses were incurred in transporting teams to Sri Lanka and back. Pakistan has requested reimbursement for chartered flight expenses from the ACC. They argue that as the decision to not hold the entire event in Pakistan was made by the Asian Council, they should bear the additional costs.
Apart from India, other teams also had to travel. Four chartered flights were arranged through a Sri Lankan travel company, Classic Travel, costing $281,700. The full payment was requested in advance.
During discussions, there were proposals to guarantee arrangements before full payment and even considerations of cost-cutting measures, like selling empty seats to fans or booking a ship. However, these proposals did not materialize. Notably, a PCB official’s acquaintance flew to Colombo with family on one of these chartered flights.
Some members, like Mossadeq Aslam and Zulfiqar Malik, expressed concerns about the full advance payment to the travel agency, suggesting exploring options with a Pakistani airline. Despite reservations, the decision was made to book flights with the non-pre-qualified agent and pay 100% upfront.
For the Asia Cup venue hire in Sri Lanka, PCB agreed to pay $2,069,885 in installments. The total hosting fee Pakistan expects from the Asian Cricket Council is $2.5 million, excluding separate ticketing, sponsorship, and other event expenses totaling around $4 million.
Originally scheduled for Lahore, PCB also included Multan, hosting the opening match there.
