LAHORE: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Faisal Hasnain confirmed on Saturday that the cricket board will request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to form a committee on the leagues’ impact on international cricket.
In a video statement, shared on the official social media platforms, Faisal revealed the agenda of the PCB for the forthcoming ICC Annual Conference and confirmed that the board will request ICC to take action on the decline of international cricket due to the expansion of franchise T20 leagues around the world.
“Due to the domestic T20 franchise leagues’ rapid expansion, new leagues are emerging roughly after every two to three months. Because of this proliferation, there is less time for international cricket, which is what the PCB is most worried about,” Faisal stated.
“We want ICC to discuss the proliferation of franchise leagues, which are cutting the time of international cricket. We have also sent a proposal to the ICC and requested them to put it on their agenda and two other boards have also asked the ICC to form a working committee on the matter,” he added.
The PCB CEO also emphasized the importance of the forthcoming meeting as he revealed that the ICC’s Future Tour Program (FTP) for the coming four to eight years will also be finalized in the meeting.
“This meeting is very important for the preparation of the next Future Tours Program (FTP). It will give us certainty if we know who we will be playing in the next four to eight years,” he said.
Talking about the forthcoming Asia Cup 2022, Faisal claimed that Pakistan wants the continental event to be held in Sri Lanka, as per the initial plans as the Green Shirts are in the crisis-hit country for the two-match Test series, while at the same time assured to stand behind the decision of Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
“Pakistan wants the Asia Cup to be held in Sri Lanka. After the successful series in Australia, now our team is also present in Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series. However, the final decision on the venue of the tournament is to be taken by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). We have already talked to ACC officials, they are reviewing the situation, and we will accept their decision,” Faisal said.
The proposal for the four-nation and tri-nation series made by PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja was then discussed by Faisal. He confirmed that the agenda is still on the table and assured that, even if not formally in the meeting, the PCB representatives would discuss the issue with the cricket boards on the sidelines.
“The proposal of four-nation series, presented by chairman [Ramiz], is very much still on the table. Even if not officially in the board meeting, it would surely be discussed on the sidelines,” he said.
“We are not the only one who are proposing the idea of multi-nation series, Australia, on the other hand, also expressed will to host a tri-nation series. So, we will certainly be discussing this matter in the meeting,” he concluded.
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