The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) once again is hiring a chartered plane. The English board this time is sending special aircraft to Lahore to pick the Pakistan Cricket squad. The summer of 2020 is so critical for ECB, that right after literally chauffeuring the West Indies cricket team from various Caribbean Islands now they will give pick and drop services to the Pakistan team.
ECB spending ‘bomb’ on chartered flight for Pakistan to save $100 Mn revenue tour
It has been decided between both ECB & the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the Pakistan squad will leave for the United Kingdom (UK) earlier than planned. The team coached by Misbah-ul-Haq will be brought to UK via chartered plane in the last week of this month instead of coming in July. As the Coronavirus situation in Pakistan is deteriorating by the day, PCB had to cancel the tour preparation camp last week and now the squad will reach London early and train their itself with all expenses paid by the ECB.
– Pakistan are being flown in at a cost of around $627,000 (4.72 Cr)
– All expenses of Pakistan cricket team will be taken care off by ECB
– ECB will also take care of visiting team’s boarding-lodging as they are doing in the case of West Indies team
ECB is taking all of these costs on themselves in order to safeguard the revenues from their broadcasters (Sky & BBC) and sponsors. It is estimated that ECB is set to earn round-about $100Mn just from the media rights component itself. This in nutshell explains the reason to commit to all the costs which ECB is incurring on the Pakistan team.
Is PCB also getting something in return from ECB for committing to the tour ?
It is been alleged that ECB handed over interest free loan of $3Mn dollars to the Cricket West Indies (CWI) in exchange of touring England during these Covid19 times. Though the charges have been denied by the CWI, the same question now is being asked from PCB as well. Is PCB getting something in return for touring England ?
Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq is adamant Pakistan’s upcoming tour of England amid the coronavirus pandemic is not dependent upon a return visit or any other return favor by ECB.
“It is not in our minds that we are coming and keeping in view something that the ECB has to do for us in return,” said Misbah. “It is important for us to restart international cricket somewhere, get the players back on the ground. That is the most important thing at the moment.”, the Pakistan coach and chief selector added.
Major international teams stopped touring Pakistan after Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked by armed militants in Lahore in 2009 and, although some have returned recently, it is 15 years since England last visited the country.
Pakistan tour of England – 3 Test / 3 T20 game Series slated for August
A squad of 29 players has been lined up to go into quarantine in Birmingham, where they are expected to remain for a substantial period of practice and inter-squad matches before heading to Manchester for the first Test on August 5. The final two Tests will take place at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, with three Twenty20 internationals to follow between August 28 and September 1.
