LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a rejoinder after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BSB) president Nazmul Hassan’s statement regarding the former’s demand for sharing a profit of their bilateral cricket series, likely to be held in April-May this year.

“To clear any misunderstanding arising out of the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mr Nazmul Hassan’s statement to the media in Dhaka on Monday (Feb 2, 2015), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wants to clarify the situation, which is diametrically different to what has been portrayed,” the PCB states in the rejoinder.

Read: PCB wants to share profit of BD series

“Here are the facts: Pakistan had toured Bangladesh in 2011, and in accordance with the established principals of reciprocity, it is Bangladesh’s turn to tour Pakistan. Despite a written commitment in 2012, Bangladesh did not tour Pakistan.

“So while in principal this tour belongs to Pakistan, in order to accommodate BCB, PCB had shown willingness to visit Bangladesh for two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 International in April-May this year.

Also read: PCB sets conditions for Bangladesh tour

“And since this is a Pakistan tour to be hosted by Bangladesh, the former demanded a share in income.

“It also needs to be acknowledged that touring is an expensive proposition, which all Boards finance from profits accruing from home tours. Since this is technically Pakistan’s home tour, PCB is being exceptionally fair in asking Bangladesh to pay a certain percentage to offset its costs.

“PCB would engage in further discussions with BCB in order to meet the special condition by Pakistan for visiting Bangladesh twice in succession,” the rejoinder concluded.

Nazmul Hassan had reportedly said, “If they say just pay our plane fare, then it is a different issue.

But match fee or profit sharing is out of the question. It is BCB’s own fund, we can’t share it with others.”

He also made a disclosure that the BCB had paid the PCB in the past. However, the PCB’s rejoinder said nothing on this claim.

“I have heard that we paid them the last time they came on tour,” Hassan said.

“This is completely new information to me. I only heard it day before yesterday. The amount was not half of the match fee but we had given them some money. So there is precedence.

“I will have to find out what it is, but the amount was not significant. I will seek more information about it today,” he added.

When contacted, the PCB was not ready to make a comment on this claim of the BCB president.

“We don’t want to comment on it because it is the matter between the two cricket boards,” a PCB official said.

However, sources told Dawn that the PCB received money from the BCB for participating in a tri-nation series, organised by Bangladesh in 2008, in which India was the third team.

“Since it was a three-nation tournament and not a bilateral series and BCB bid for it, they were bound to pay the PCB,” the sources said.

“Instead, the PCB paid BCB a sum of US$225,000 as the latter had demanded it for playing some extras matches on their tour to Pakistan in 2003,” they further said.

Published in Dawn February 4th , 2015

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