PCB Chief Shaharyar Khan wants ICC to set up special fund for Pakistan cricket

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan has revealed that he would request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to set up a special fund for Pakistan cricket to compensate for the heavy losses in revenue accrued by the board due to the absence of international cricket in the country.

Pakistan has not had any team tour the country since March 2009, when militants attacked the Sri Lankan side in Lahore. The terrorist attack on the team bus led to other national teams refusing to tour the country, which according to Khan, has resulted in the board suffering losses amounting to millions of dollars in revenue.

"We want to use this special fund to develop and promote cricket in Pakistan," Khan said, as quoted by Firstpost.

"We will request the International Cricket Council and member countries to put aside a small percentage of it's income from ICC events for this special fund for Pakistan cricket."

The ban on hosting international cricket has meant that the PCB is forced to organise their home series at neutral venues, with the United Arab Emirates being preferred. However, the PCB chief claims this arrangement is not proving cost-effective.

"When we play a series in the UAE, the costs are high and generation of revenues are not good enough for us. As a result we are losing revenues annually and that eats into our funds set aside for developmental purposes and for our affiliated regional associations," Khan added.

The PCB wanted Sri Lanka to host their matches in order to cut costs, but that decision did not pan out due to the onset of the monsoon in September and October.

Pakistan will next be seen in action against England where they will take part in a four test, five ODI series, along with a solitary T20 international fixture.

The last time Pakistan toured the country in 2010, it resulted in controversy due to the spot-fixing saga which saw three of their players, skipper Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, being implicated for their alleged role in deliberately bowling no-balls for money.