PAKISTAN Cricket Board, with reference to a story published in Dawn on Dec 6, 2019 titled ‘PCB spent lavishly on top five officials but peanuts on cricket development: Nouman Butt’ has taken exception to it and has issued a clarification on the same which says: “The PCB does not receive any development funds from the ICC as it is a Full Member. The ICC provides development funds to emerging, developing and Associate Members. The ICC, in 2014, had approved a revenue sharing model. Under the agreed formula, the PCB, like any other Test playing country, receives its share on an half-yearly basis, which, in turn, it spends on administrative, infrastructure, and cricket-related activities, initiatives and projects — both at the men’s, women’s, pathways and grassroots level through the National Cricket Academy and domestic cricket programmes.

The ICC distributes revenue share to its Members following the submission of audited accounts, which, in the PCB’s case, are approved by the Board of Governors Apart from the ICC revenue share, the PCB generates its own funds through various commercial programmes and PCB’s officials contribute significantly to this revenue generation. These revenues are strategically and methodically spent on administrative, infrastructure, and cricket-related activities, initiatives and projects — at the men’s, women’s, pathways and grassroots levels through the National Cricket Academy and domestic cricket programmes.Once again, the PCB, to ensure cricket activities were not disrupted in the regions, provided a funding of over PKR 317million to the 16 regions in the past five years to manage 63 grounds in terms of equipment, repairs and administrative expenses. Furthermore, the PCB also provided funds to 16 regions (18 regional teams) in terms of regional teams’ logistics, traveling, accommodations, players match fees, players monthly retainership, allowances, grants for inter-district matches and club cricket tournament, without any contribution from the regional set-ups and allocate funds as stated below.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board has spent a large amount of money on cricket development and domestic programmes.”

However, Dawn would like to make it clear that the story published on Dec 6, 2019 in its pages was entirely based on the statement made by Pakistan Cricket Board’s member of Board of Governors Mr Nouman Butt who had quoted the PCB’s own press release published a day earlier in Dawn which said, “Over the past five years, the PCB had provided funding of over PKR 317million to the 16 regions to manage these 63 grounds in terms of equipment, repairs and administrative expenses.”

Besides, the PCB in its clarification to the story, does not mention the actual volume of salaries being paid to its five top officials while Mr Nouman Butt had quoted the exact salary figures. Moreover, PCB spending on the regions and under various heads out of the funds it received from ICC and other sources and payment made to its top five officials may be a dispute between the PCB and its BoG member. Dawn has only presented the viewpoints of both the sides without any editorial judgement on this matter.

Mr. Nouman Butt’s statement (which was also carried by four other leading publications in the country) was carried out in that spirit without pointing any finger towards anybody. The matter rests between the PCB and its member currently barred from attending BoGs meetings because of proceedings against him as president of the Sialkot Region).

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2019