PCB and SLC fight over financial disagreements of co-hosting Asia Cup 2023 at ACC meeting in Indonesia

In a recent development, reports have emerged from the latest meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Bali, Indonesia where the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Sri Lankan Cricket Board went back and forth over a list of unpaid financial expenses during the Asia Cup 2023 which was co-hosted by the two countries after PCB exercised a Hybrid model for the 50-over tournament.

The Asia Cup 2023 was originally slated to undergo in Pakistan but BCCI’s refusal to send the Indian team over there due to security concerns forced the PCB to shift India’s matches, some of the group matches as well as the knockout round in Sri Lanka.

The SLC had signed a number of agreements with PCB related to expenditures of Hotels, flights, accommodation, and venue charges. The latter board would pay $281,700 to Sri Lanka for 4 chartered planes before agreeing to spend almost $2,069,885 for venue charges in the Island nation.

Then Chief Najam Sethi who was overseeing the proceedings of hosting the continental event, paid 75% of the sum and agreed to give the remaining amount after the tournament. However, they are yet to make payments of hotel bills and SLC president Shami Silva brought the issue to the discussion table during a recent ACC meeting, as per reports in Cricket Pakistan.

The meeting also had ACC President Jay Shah who asked Silva to schedule meetings with the PCB and discuss the matter directly with them. His cryptic request could also mean that he is unwilling to help the Pakistani board.

PCB in response has claimed that ACC is also liable for the due payments as they forced them to organize Asia Cup 2023 in a hybrid model. They also revealed that ACC had allotted only $2.5 Million as the hosting fees whereas the original cost to organize the tournament touched the 4 million mark.

What Will Be PCB’s Next Move Amid Financial Strains And Tensions At The Office

Cricket in Pakistan is actually going through tough times as they again await the appointment of a new PCB chief following the resignation of Zaka Ashraf. There are also talks about a change in the team director role, which Mohammad Hafeez has been overseeing since November without a proper salary.

And to make matters worse, the SLC raised this point at a very wrong time when the PCB themselves were going through a period of turmoil within their office. The internal disputes in the Pakistan board have had a direct impact on the team’s performance as well.

After Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy post CWC 2023 exit, PCB appointed Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Afridi as the T20I captain. Their journey under a new regime began with a 3-0 drubbing to the hands of World champions Australia in the Benaud-Qadir Test series before New Zealand stepped over Afridi’s 11 by 4-1 in the T20I series.

With the Pakistan Super League on the horizon, all the attention might turn towards the 9th edition for now. However, the lingering financial constraints between PCB and SLC are expected to catch heat in the coming days.