PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi Wanted to Pull Out of Asia Cup, Claims Najam Sethi

Strategic Insights -

Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi has revealed that the board's current chief Mohsin Naqvi had considered boycotting the Asia Cup after the controversy surrounding the match between Pakistan and India. Sethi, who intervened to stop the boycott, claimed that Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage if the decision had been carried out, including potential sanctions from the Asian Cricket Council and loss of broadcasting rights worth $15 million.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had considered boycotting the Asia Cup after the controversy surrounding the match between Pakistan and India.
  • PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi had almost taken the decision to boycott the tournament, but Najam Sethi intervened to stop "irreparable damage".
  • Sethi claimed that Pakistan would have suffered sanctions from the Asian Cricket Council and loss of broadcasting rights worth $15 million if the boycott had gone ahead.
  • PCB and ICC were involved in entangling situation last week, with the latter reprimanding PCB for breaching the Player and Managers' protocol.
  • PCB media manager was banned from recording the meeting with ICC's Caeso Sanjog Gupta, leading to a strongly-worded letter to PCB.

Statistics:

  • $15 million: The estimated loss of broadcasting rights if Pakistan had boycotted the Asia Cup.
  • 14th September: The date when the crisis between PCB and ICC began after the match between Pakistan and India.
  • 1 hour: The delay in Pakistan's match against UAE after negotiations between PCB and ICC.

Sources:

  • Samaa TV (Pakistan), interview with Najam Sethi
  • Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), press conference with Mohsin Naqvi
  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd. (published on Contify.com), news article.