Ashraf Ali Siddiqui talks about a financial compensation
Pakistani cricket was devastated when New Zealand Cricket Team suddenly withdrew from the cricket tour of Pakistan on the pretext of endangered security. The most painful aspect of the issue was that the tour was cancelled minutes before the beginning of One-Day International match in Rawalpindi. Even a phone call from the then-Prime Minister Imran Khan to his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern was insufficient to prevent New Zealand Cricket team’s departure. England later refused to send both male and female teams to Pakistan. The New Zealand cricket team had arrived in Pakistan on 11 September last year after 18 years to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 Internationals. These 10 matches were in addition to the two Tests and three ICC Super League ODIs, which were to be played in December-January.
In a briefing to Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination in October last year, PCB chief Ramiz Raja had said: “I have written a strongly-worded letter to the International Cricket Council chairman where I mentioned that the ICC has become a political wing of the Western bloc and has been reduced to a mere events management company.” Ramiz had added that he felt the decision by New Zealand was politically motivated. Relations between the two boards calmed a bit during recent months, with PCB deciding to accept the offer to play in the triangular series in Christchurch in October, just ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja indicated that they would seek compensation from New Zealand.
It is now reported that the New Zealand Cricket Board has paid monetary compensation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the losses incurred due to its national team’s last-minute abandonment of the Pakistan tour last year citing a security threat. New Zealand has now paid compensation for the financial losses, which include hotel bookings, security, marketing, and transmission, among other things. A source within the PCB said the NZC also agreed to play five additional Twenty20 internationals and five one-day internationals in May next year. The amount of compensation has not been revealed. However, sources claim that the PCB would profit handsomely from New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan next year. During the tour, New Zealand will play ten white-ball games. The PCB will confirm the New Zealand tour after agreeing on dates with England, as they have seven T20Is booked in Pakistan in October.
PCB is also considering playing a tri-series with New Zealand and Bangladesh in the first week of October Down Under just ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. It was accordingly reported that PCB will confirm the tour to New Zealand after deciding the dates with England as they are scheduled to travel to Pakistan for seven T20Is planned in October. New Zealand will tour twice to Pakistan in the 2022-23 season. First, they will play two Tests and three ODIs in the December 2022-January 2023 period and then will return for five ODIs and as many T20Is in April 2023. Pakistan defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in Sharjah last year. TW
