PCB misses out on USD 1.5 million after SA tour cancelled

The legal wrangles of the Pakistan Cricket Board has led to the cancellation of the short limited over series in South Africa this month, which could have earned PCB at least USD 1.5 million.

An official in the Pakistan board told PTI that both countries had discussed Pakistan going to South Africa directly from the UAE this month to play three one-dayers and couple of T20 matches.

"The South Africans were also keen on the short tour because of the fact that India has shortened its tour this December," he explained.

"But we decided against making any commitments because of the legal complications in the cricket set up right now," the official stated.

The short series was planned during a two-week window in November after the two sides wrap up their current bilateral series in the UAE on November 15.

The South African board had offered the PCB USD 1.5 million to host them but Sethi said he could not discuss the matter as he was suspended.

"CSA had offered us to play a short series in South Africa. But due to the ongoing legal crisis in the PCB, we cannot extend discussions with them," Najam Sethi said on a television show.

"The day I had started working on the proposal by CSA, the court suspended me and the IMC, so the idea could not materialize," he confirmed.

A divisional bench of the Islamabad High Court is due to hear an appeal filed by the PCB against a full judgment of the IHC today under which the court has suspended the Chairman of the board, Najam Sethi from working and also put aside a government order to appoint a interim management committee for three month to run cricket affairs.

The court has instead for the time being given powers to the general body of the board to manage day to day affairs and also appointed a retired judge of the supreme court, Justice Munir A Sheikh to conduct elections for the post of PCB chairman by third week of November.

"Until the divisional bench gives a decision on our appeal the board is operating without a chairman," another official said.

"And in such circumstances it was not prudent to make any commitment to the South Africans," he said.

He pointed out that at present the board's top decision-making officials are suspended for an indefinite period.