PAK vs ENG: Mohsin Naqvi angry as PCB struggles to finalize itinerary for Test series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is furious with the delays in the finalization of the itinerary for the three-match Test series between the England National Cricket Team and the Pakistan National Cricket Team.

England National Cricket Team have already announced the squad for the Test tour to Pakistan and captain Ben Stokes will return to action alongside Zak Crawley while the likes of Rehan Ahmed, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root, who hammered Pakistan in the 2022 Test series, traveling to the country again.

Pakistan were set to host England for the first Test from October 7 in Multan, the second Test in Karachi from October 15, and the final Test in Rawalpindi from October 24. However, due to the ongoing construction work at these venues, there is a big question mark over the readiness of the grounds for the series against the Three Lions.

The international cricket department is yet to finalize the itinerary for the England tour of Pakistan 2024 and this has made PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi quite frustrated. In an interaction with PTI, an insider stated:

“With less than a month remaining for the first Test, the international department is yet to even decide where the first match would be held."

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The Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that relocating the series would damage the image of the PCB - Insider

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi was asked about the situation during an interaction with reporters when the reports emerged that the board was planning to move one of the Tests to Abu Dhabi.

At that time, Mohsin Naqvi had thrashed all the reports and stated that they would host all the Test matches in Pakistan. The insider has now revealed that the PCB chairman has warned the officials about damage to reputation if the Tests move out of the country.

“The Chairman has made it clear that relocating the series would damage the image of the PCB, and Rawalpindi and Multan should be used as the venues for the three-match series,” he said.

"The Chairman is not happy because the more the announcement of venues and itinerary is delayed the more it affects the board’s revenue generation opportunities from the three matches,” the insider said.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been kept in the dark about the venues, and another major problem is the lack of interest from the broadcasters overseas to telecast the Test series between England and Pakistan.

“Even the broadcasters who have bought the rights to sell the series internationally are worried as they are yet to find a buyer to show the matches in the UK,” the insider said.

“In this background, the more the announcement is delayed the more it is hitting the PCB’s chances of earning good revenues from the England series."

In another major development, the insider has revealed the real reason behind the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) abruptly stopping the National under-19 championship after just one day’s play in the first round of three-day matches all over the country. The source said that the board was forced to make such a major move due to complaints about team selection and lack of budget approval.

"The reason for the postponement was because of various complaints that due process was not followed while selecting the regional teams, and secondly, the event was launched without the budget for the championship first being approved/released by the finance department of the board,” the insider further added.